The Emerald Queen
by Virgin Queen 15
Summary: When Darkness falls over Underground there are only a handful of pirates, a mortal girl and a pain in the butt monarch to destroy it, even though one of them is the creator of such an evil
1. Chapter 1 A Man in a Mask

Chapter 1: A Man in a Mask

Sarah smiled and danced. The crew took turns dancing with their one female member, each cutting in at any moment they so desired. She was passed from man to man then finally to Captain Richards, the tallest man in the group. He kept Sarah's hand for three more dances before another guest at the party, not a member of the crew of the _Emerald Queen_, asked to take his place. Sarah smiled and let herself be led into a slow moving dance by a tall man who looked like a snake. He had scaly skin, watery yellow eyes and a fanged smile. He was dressed richly in gold trimmed clothes and had a few strands of blue hair on the top of his head all parted to the side. She felt the muscle twitch under her left eye, an early sign that she may laugh. She knew that with the Fae it would be impossible to hide it when you wanted to laugh, but he wasn't a Fae so she could get away with a smile and a little giggle.

"And what would you're name be?" She asked politely.

The snake man smiled. "My Lady, they call me King Lazarus. But you may call me Lazz."

"Lazz," She grinned. "I like that."

For a few minutes they danced in silence. Sarah would've kindly parted and left to find a crew member to drink with were it not for the fact that-

"How is it, your highness that you have not asked for my name?" She said.

Lazz smiled, a thin red tongue flickering out for an instant. "Everyone knows your name little wanderer." He said with a gentle hiss. "Not many young girls…well not any girls of any age have bested the likes of the eldest son of the high king and lived to tell the tale without some sort of scarring." He looked her up and down pointedly.

"My scars may not show," Sarah said with a little smile. "But I can indeed tell you that I have been scarred from that particular event in my life. Though it was the beginning of a very happy life for me here, I do not think I will ever be able to return the Labyrinth, even to reclaim what I have lost."

"What have you lost?" Lazz said.

Sarah's smile dropped and for a moment all the glamour and happy fantasies she lived seemed very empty. But she smiled again and ignored the gloom inside her. "I left behind my first love, my first taste of the adult world." She explained. "But I know that I have friends there, and one day I'll leave the _Emerald Queen_ to be there."

"You said you left behind your first love, might I inquire of that?" He asked. There was a hint of sleuth in this man and Sarah found it made her smile.

"Well, what little girl doesn't fall in love with her first ballroom dance partner?" She laughed.

The snake-king grinned and said "I myself became attached to my first dance instructor, but a teacher-student relationship was not encouraged."

Sarah laughed. "It is the same in the Aboveground; it is not encouraged to have a romantic relationship with a teacher."

"So you had the same problem too then? Your first love?" Lazz said.

"Oh," She gasped. "No you misunderstand. He wasn't my teacher."

"Then," He paused and thought carefully for a moment. "What was he to you?"

Sarah felt the wing of an owl brush her cheek, a feeling she only got when she recalled her Goblin King. "He was…in a way a guardian. He watched over me when I ran the Labyrinth, he watched and made sure that I learned what I needed to."

"If I may contradict you, he sounds like a teacher to me." Lazz said.

Sarah laughed. "If you count a teacher as a very odd Fae who likes to dance and sing and wear abominably tight pants that make it difficult to keep your eyes on his face, then alright he was my teacher."

"A teacher is a teacher no matter how they teach and how they appear." He said, and Sarah had no doubts anymore that he was a very judicious king. Though he may be a fumble-mouthed snake man, he had wisdom in his ageless eyes that Sarah had grown accustomed to over her three years of journeying and meeting very intelligent folk

He continued, "You yourself are a teacher, you've taught many Fae that mortality is not a handicap. And I'm sure your crew has taught you many things."

"True," Sarah said. "But I do not count my first love as a teacher; he was simply the villain in my fairytale."

"Did you ever grow out of your villain?" The snake said.

"Well," Sarah grinned. "I grew out of the need for a villain to make my story, but I don't think I could ever go back to him. For in the end I turned out to be the very cruel creature I imagined him to be. He even said my eyes were so cruel…" She faded for a moment back into her memories.

"Sarah!" A very drunk Scoot was coming toward the dance floor from the bar. His voice was slurred and his left eye was swollen. He had defiantly been in a brawl.

"Damn," She grumbled. "I'm sorry, Lazz, but Scoot is my responsibility, seeing as no one else takes the time to care for the nit-twit. Please excuse me."

"Of course," Lazz said and he released his hold on Sarah. "But do remember what I said, and it may be to your advantage to return to your teacher. Goodbye Lady Sarah."

Scoot stumbled toward her, bumping into many aggravated dancers as he went. His face was much bruised and very green.

"Scoot," Sarah caught the boy in her arms and slung his arm over her shoulder. "I swear if you ruin this dress I'm going to make you clean the bathrooms for three weeks."

"Ookay," He mumbled and leaned his face into her neck. She half-dragged the boy back from the party on the beach to the docks where the _Emerald Queen_ sat quietly, only Jay aboard to guard her. Jay was an older man, though his blue eyes were as young as Scoot's, his hair was mousey grey and was almost always pulled back in a short curly ponytail. In his youth Jay had been known as Black Bear, the dreaded pirate of the west sea. To Sarah he was merely Papa Bear.

The ship stood grandly, her pale green sails bright against the star-filled sky. Torches lit her like a thousand little fireflies making her shine like the night sky herself. Scoot let Sarah drag him up onto the ship and dump him near the side, where he hung wearily over the side and proceeded to vomit up the many drinks he had consumed.

"Well," Papa Bear laughed heartily. "What did he drink now?"

"I have no idea," Sarah said and took a seat next to the old pirate. She hiked up one leg over the other knee and leaned back against the mast. "But whatever it is I hope it keeps him from indulging too much again."

Scoot turned away from the water to shoot Sarah a dirty glare, which she returned with a blown kiss. Grunting he returned to his vomiting.

"Don't be too hard on him love," Papa Bear smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "I remember when you were sixteen how you loved to sip that, oh what was it? Jamaican Rum?"

From his sick post Sarah heard Scoot laugh. She however was not amused. "I was young." She spat.

"You still are, your eighteenth birthday is next week." Jay smiled like a proud father.

Sarah couldn't help but smile back to him. It was true, she was still very young. But in the almost three years that she had been with the _Emerald Queen_ she had learned more then she ad ever learned anywhere else. She had conned pirates, battled a very vicious group of Monkey Fae, had been victim of a curse from an estranged witch which had resulted in her growing a tail for three days, had danced and met with many Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses and a Duke that weighed over a ton and had a smile unlike any she'd ever seen. She had fought for her life, the life of her crew-mates, and the safety of the _Emerald Queen_. She remembered one occurrence where she had fallen into the Endless Well only to find that it was only six feet deep and was home to a very cranky elf who had named the well to keep people from invading his personal space.

There was so much she had seen and so much she had done and still she was only on the brim of her eighteenth year. She was also the youngest crew member, even though Scoot was twenty five he was as reckless as a fourteen year old boy, and so she was his appointed 'mother.'

"Do you want anything for your birthday, Poppy-child?" Papa Bear loved to give her little nicknames, and they were almost always associated with flowers. She had been Lily-doll, Rosie-bell, and Violet-smile, anything with a flower.

"Oh, no thank you Papa," Sarah said. "I'm very well without anything."

"Liar," Scoot croaked.

"You're drunk, go back to vomiting." Sarah snapped.

Scoot gave her an exaggerated salute and leaned once again over the side the boat. For a while the boat was quiet, only the sounds of the party could be heard. That and Scoot's retching sounds.

"Why don't you go back to the party," Jay said. "It's hardly midnight; the party will go on 'til dawn."

Sarah nodded and smiled. "Alright," She said and started to leave the boat. "I'll be around in another hour or so."

Sarah almost ran back to the party, eager to find the Captain or Frizz to dance with for a while. There were many strange Fae and creatures at this party. Though it was on the beach, only the crew of the Emerald Queen was dressed for sand and waves. Captain Margo Richards wore a richly designed vest, no shirt beneath it, and loose fitting trousers and no shoes. The rest of the crew was similarly dressed, save Sarah of course. She wore a white dress with a thick and wide belt around her middle. The skirt was cropped and trimmed and covered in lace and beads, her favorite for dancing and the top of the dress was sleeveless and had a rounded low collar. Over the top she wore a loose leather jacket Margo had given her. She let her hip length hair fly loose in gentle raven-colored waves.

Compared to the other guests, the crew was a wild, untamed group. In retrospect the peaceful crew found the dark, partying Fae a bit too feral for their taste. But a party was a party and sometimes you could make a good con or snag a few coins from the Fae when they were otherwise indisposed by their partying. Sarah rejoined the dancers in the circle, and was almost instantly asked to dance by a masked fellow in a deep blue cloak. Under the cloak Sarah could catch the traces of a leather suit that gave no indication of rank or origin. The mask covered the man's entire face, but Sarah gave little thought to his oddness and took his hand and danced. She watched the magic unfold around her as it always did when she danced with powerful fey men. Glitter filled the air, glinting in the torches' light, and a smell, a very faint smell filled her nostrils. She could sense a spell in the air that tried to keep that scent contained, but it was too powerful for her to remember where she had smelled that dark, spicy scent before.

The man had a muffled voice when he had asked her to dance and even now he was silent, which was a little annoying for Sarah. So she struck up some conversation.

"The Dryads were very kind to invite us to the party," She said. "It's not common for pirates to be invited to Fae parties."

"You don't look like a pirate." The man's voice was almost too hard to hear from behind the mask.

"Oh?" Sarah asked, eyebrows raised. "And what characterizes the look of a pirate?"

"Well," He turned her in the dance so she had her back to him and he held her tightly against his chest. With his chin leaning on her shoulder, he nudged her face to look. "That is what a pirate looks like."

He had turned her to face the bar, a long glass table, covered in a variety of drinks and food. Around the table stood the majority of her crew, slobbering drunk, tugging on the wings of passing fairies, flirting with every woman that came their way. Frizz was arm wrestling his twin Maze, and losing miserably to him, which would not have seemed strange if not for the fact that Maze's arms were made of wood after he lost them in a very bad accident.

"You should really see them on their good days," Sarah sighed happily, liking the way this stranger was holding her a little too much. "They make for wonderful conversational companions."

The man snorted, a sound Sarah assumed was accompanied by a smirk. He spun her around again so she was facing him.

"Do you like the pirate life?" He asked.

"Well enough," Sarah answered. "Lucky for me my crew mates treat me like a queen."

"How nice for you." He sounded irritated, almost cross.

"Seeing as I think you know who I am…" She implied the question but he didn't catch the hint.

"Sarah Williams, member of the _Emerald Queen,_ Lady of the Labyrinth," He said. "Mortal woman." The last words bit with a smidgen of mockery.

"Huh," She said her tone sharp. "You must be some sort of monarch, only those too high and mighty and proud of themselves think mortals so low."

"You dare speak with such a manner to one whom you think a monarch?" He asked angrily.

Sarah smiled and lifted a hand from his shoulder and tapped the hard, smooth lips of the mask. The shadowed eyes flickered dangerously. "I speak to anyone in which manner I so choose. If you speak with respect I will return it. But if you dare mock someone like me, I will not be kind for your cruelty."

"I see," He said. "I will keep friends with you Lady."

"Shakespeare?"

"'Much ado about nothing.'"

"Very good, I love that play." Sarah said and her smile turned brighter. It was rare to find someone who knew the works of the great Willy S.

"It is one of my favorites." He admitted with a hint of embarrassment.

"Mine as well," Sarah said happily. She was about to inquire further upon his knowledge of Shakespeare when I sudden crash from the bar made the dancers pause and the music stopped mid-crescendo.

"Sarah!" Margo's voice broke the shocked silence. "Bombs away baby!"

"Goodbye, sir," She looked at her masked companion. "Though I must say that I lied, those pirates don't even have sense enough to form proper sentences. It has been very fun." She leaned up to kiss the masked cheek then darted quickly through the crowd with her crew members back to the boat. Once the crew members were all accounted for and Captain Margo commanded the ship out to sea, Sarah asked what had happened.

"Well," Margo laughed and pointed a thumb behind his head to Scar.

Sarah turned around and looked at the three-thousand year old Elf man. He was leaning against the side of the boat, arms crossed over his chest. He was grumpy; Sarah knew it from the tension in his muscled arms. His black hair hung loose over his face, shadowing his tight-lipped expression. Sarah sighed and shook her head, but went over to stand next to her mate.

"Hey, doll." She said. "What happened this time?"

"I don't think it's any of your business, _doll_." He said angrily.

"Is that any way to treat someone who's trying to help you?" Sarah snapped. She bowed down to peer up under his hair to see his chocolate brown eyes.

"No ma'am." He recited.

"Now, tell me what happened." She ordered.

Scar snorted and raised an eyebrow at Sarah. "It was a troll."

"Scarrie! What did I tell you about trolls?" She said angrily.

"That I'm not to approach them or even look at them…" He said glumly.

"Because?"

"You really love this aren't you?" He snapped. He stood up straight and pulled his hair up out of his face. Without the black locks to hide it the deep scar over the left side of his face shone clear in the light. "Because of my anger against them, because of the scar they gave me."

Sarah stood up, having been victim of Scar's anger more then once or twice, winced at his voice, but stood firm even as he moved forward to stand over her in all his dark scarred glory. She looked at him, watching with her green eyes the sadness that tumbled in his eyes. She was not afraid of Scar.

"Do you think letting your anger out on me rather then the trolls is any better?" She asked. She took his hand in hers. "Come with me, we're going to let out some of that anger."

Scar didn't protest and he let Sarah take him down to the bottom floor of the boat. Down there were sacks of grain and corn for barter, but on bad days Sarah and Scar went down to punch the bags. Scar was maybe the only crew member next to Jay who knew about Sarah's entire past, and Sarah in turn was the only one who knew the true source of the scar on his face.

Scar had been born to a young Elf woman named Serena; he was named for his late father Lanzer, but adopted the nickname Scar after his fifth birthday. On that day, he lost his mother and his name in one attack from a band of vagrant trolls. They raped his mother and killed her and left little Lanzer for dead with half of his face shredded to bits and a stake in his gut. Amazingly he survived the ordeal along with four other youths from his town that helped raise him and took him from cit to city. When he was fifteen he joined Jay on his ship the_ Rascal_ and stayed with him ever since.

Though Sarah's life since the Labyrinth had been adventurous and dream-like, she had suffered a great deal on account of these adventures. Marvin, a year older then Scott, had been a beloved companion for everyone on the boat, but an accident with a broken mast had been his death. Few of the crew ever wanted to replace him, but no one ever spoke of him after his death. He had been Sarah's best friend.

Down in the deep bowls of the boat, Sarah sat on a bag of oats, while Scar bunched a bag of corn seeds.

"What did the troll do?" Sarah asked.

Scar answered between punches. "Pushed me out of the way, stole the girl I was talking to and my drink."

"So you…?"

He gouged her reaction and frowned. "What I always do."

Sarah shook her head and sighed. "You really need to keep your cool."

"Sarah, I've known you for three years, but I still do not understand half the things you say." Scar looked at her with his trademark grin.

"I meant you need to watch your temper." She clarified.

"Ah," He said. "I'm not the only one." He eyed her frown with a smile.

She was quiet for a while, then spoke in a soft voice "He was there, he danced with me again."

"He came?" Scar shook his head. "Why does he still follow you? The man's a lunatic."

"Stop that," Sarah said sternly. She was more offended then she should have been.

"You…" Scar smiled mockingly. "You still love the man! Of all the…good gods above."

"Shut up, Lanzer!" Sarah said. "He is my friend, he can do what he wants, I do not object to him coming around to visit…even if his manner is odd."

"If he still loves you," He put up a hand to silence her. "Then why does he come to you in a mask?"

Sarah thought quietly for a moment. When she did speak her voice was soft and full of unguarded passion. "I don't think he has forgiven me completely, I know I haven't forgiven him either. But we have a sort of connection that makes it difficult to be far apart."

"You've mentioned your connection before, but do you think you'll ever get over him?" He asked.

"I…" She paused and shook her head, feeling like nothing could have made the situation better. "He'll always be there, here." She laid a hand on her chest over her beating heart. "But until we can settle the conflict between us, I'm not going to push him."

"You don't seem to be the kind to_ push_ anything," Scar said and grinned.

Sarah cleared her throat and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed, when you plan on being nice maybe I'll speak to you again." She stood and left, ignoring Scar's low chuckle.

Up in her room she changed into her night shirt, a very oversized poet's shirt, stained a deep red. Then she cuddled up into her bed, and fell asleep to the sounds and the sway of the sea.


	2. Chapter 2 Father of Darkness

Chapter 2: Father of Darkness

Jareth felt his heart betray him the moment Sarah accepted his hand to dance. He knew it was unfair of him to wear a mask, but she wouldn't have been so calm near him otherwise. He figured she had a pretty good idea that it was him, he always appeared in that same costume, the same mask. He never offered a name or asked for hers. It was the same game they always played, since she was fifteen and she stood at her window after the journey of the Labyrinth. It was after her friends left her, her bedroom was in shambles, the ends of her hair had been slightly burned by the Firey's having too much fun, and her eyes were glowing with that same mocking cruelty. She stood by the window, watching him as he sat, in his owl's form.

She opened the window, and stuck her head out. "You aren't too angry are you?" She had asked.

Without permission he flew over her head and into her room, where he changed forms.

Sarah didn't speak, nor did she move to push him out the window or anything else. She just watched him.

"What a lovely room you have." He said.

"Don't mock, now you can be angry all you want that I beat you," Sarah said. "But I still need you."

Jareth turned from observing her stuffed animals and gave her an angry sneer. "You?" He said. "You need me? After rejecting me, after I gave you the world and you threw it back in my face, you need me?"

Sarah didn't cower before him, but he could see a growing shadow cover her green eyes. "I didn't expect you to forgive me instantly." She said softly. "I don't want to stay here anymore, I want to go Underground."

"And you expect me to just let you go? To help you get there?" He said. "I've done nothing but what you want me to do and you have done nothing in return."

"I never said I wanted your help," She said carefully. "If what the book said was true than I have certain powers. I only ask you show me how to set free these powers."

Jareth angrily took her hand and turned it up so he could trace the inside of her hand. His touch was gentle; he could remember how carefully he held her hand while he uttered the spell that would release her powers from within her. Once the freeing of her magic was done Jareth turned to leave, but a small hand had grabbed hold of the back of his black cape. He turned to face Sarah.

Tears were falling down her face, the new born magic flowing around her in little clouds of glitter. She looked like a very young, very terrified child. She _had_ been a child.

"Please," She whispered. "Please forgive me." All pride was dropped, they were stripped before each other in all their faults, and still he loved her, wanted to stay, keep her forever, but he couldn't.

Jareth felt his own tears brimming in his eyes, so he turned away so Sarah wouldn't see them. "I can't Sarah. I really can't. Give me _time_." Without another word he had flown from the window and vanished.

He had always regretted that night, but he knew that had he stayed he would have fallen to her floor at her feet. He would have pleaded uncontrollably, begged her for what he wanted, knowing he would never get it.

Even after watching her take her first baby steps into his world, he knew that he could never posses so vibrant a creature. Follow her, always; guard her, until she asked him not to. Until she told him not to watch over her. She knew he was her invisible sentinel, and she never told him to go away. So he remained, traveling from his castle to Sarah every few days, always in a disguise, always in clouds of glitter.

Once when the _Emerald Queen_ had been battling a very violent storm Sarah had been knocked down by a wayward beam and almost plunged into the sea when she began to stumble dizzily over the side of the great ship. Jareth appeared in his usual disguise and wound his strong arm around her waist and held her tightly to him. Around them the ship was in chaos and soon Sarah squirmed from his hold to rejoin her mates in the battle against nature. It was her duty.

Jareth sighed, his thoughts moving away from the past to earlier that night, Sarah's smile, the kiss she gave him. Things were better between them, forgiveness for misdeeds was still a bit distanced from both of them, but their friendship was blossoming beautifully. He figured there was something there, laced inside the both of them that bound them but he could never name what it was.

It was an unspoken connection between them, something felt, not seen. When they danced, he could feel it, that kicking urge to hold her tighter, even to _be_ with her. The latter idea was rather maddening.

He tried to ignore those darker urges, though their voices and influences were fierce within him. He conjured a crystal and peeked in on Sarah briefly, she was asleep on her ship. She was never a peaceful sleeper, always rolling around and kicking off her blankets only to scrunch down to be under them again. But tonight she wore a tortured look on her face; her dreams must have been frightening. Rather then torture himself by watching her restless turmoil he touched the crystal with an ungloved thumb and whispered quietly in Fae, a dream spell.

The next moment was total chaos as his spirit was flung from his body, over three seas and four countries then to the west sea where Sarah's ship floated peacefully, then into its cabins. Once he regained power over his free soul he stepped quickly into Sarah's dream. At first he saw only darkness, then that darkness began to change into a bluish light and he could see Sarah. She was sitting, arms around her legs. Above her he could see the source of the light, a hole with caged wire over it. It was moonlight pouring in from above her, cold moonlight.

She wore nothing but a baggy dress that he suspected was once white but was now covered in grim and dust. Her long hair was pulled back by a loose blue ribbon. She shook with cold and probably fears.

"Sarah?" He whispered softly.

At the sound of her name she jumped and recoiled from her spot in the light and vanished in the dark.

"Who are you?" She sounded like she was fifteen again.

"It's me; precious don't you recognize my voice?" He stepped into the light where she had once been sitting.

"Jareth," She sighed his name like a prayer.

"What are you doing dreaming like this?" He said gently and reached for where her voice sounded. He found her hand and grasped it.

"Well it's not like I can really keep control over my dreams anymore, I've been…" She stopped speaking suddenly.

"Been..?" Jareth tried to pull her gently towards him.

"The water's coming." She said quickly.

"What?" His only thought was to look up and as he raised his eyes toward the light a sudden down pour of water drenched him. The water poured endlessly and very soon the dark room began to flood. Sarah's hand slipped from his and he found himself flung into a stone wall by a thunderous crashing of waves. It seemed the room around them grew deeper and wider until the water that still poured into the room covered his head. He swam to the surface but the surface was slowly rising and when he breached the top for air he found Sarah was not there. He dove under the water and searched blindly in the dark water. In the panic and the hostility of the waves Jareth had forgotten that this was only a dream, but that didn't matter.

He felt something soft move across his hand and he snatched at it violently. It was Sarah's neck and he dragged her up to the top of the water for air.

"Sarah," He gasped and fought for leverage to keep her above the water which was finally beginning to settle as no more of it was pouring through the hole.

He held her tight and tried to force her to breathe. But she would not. Soon he began to panic again. The water was leaking away slowly and the room was shrinking to how it had been before, and when he could finally lay her down against the floor and press down on her chest he did. He tried to force the water out of her. It flowed form her mouth in steady streams and she choked and coughed. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared bleary eyed around her

"Jareth?" She croaked softly.

"Yes," He smiled in a terrified manner and smoothed the wet hair out of her face. "Ye I'm here precious."

"Oh," She sighed contently. "Good then don't leave."

"I won't." He said firmly.

"You promise?" She laughed, though it sounded forced.

"I promise."

_Jareth._

He started and was torn from the dream and flung back into his body. Around him had gathered many small goblins, who clung to his boots and shook. A man stood in the doorway of the throne room. He was dressed in many rich clothes, with a gilded sword on his belt and a silver circlet around his head. He had sun-gold curls, unlike Jareth's frost-blonde insanity on his head, but his nose and chin were very much like Jareth's.

"Father?" Jareth said.

"My son," The man regarded him with a look that Jareth knew meant trouble. "We must speak about the Darkness."

"Letter for you." Scoot was sitting lazily in an empty crate that he had filled with cushions stolen from the Captain's room, mulling through the mail the messenger bird had brought early before Sarah had woken up. She didn't plan on getting dressed that day, no one ever did after a party, still she was careful to hold her loose night shirt firmly closed over her chest so as not to let the over curious Scoot see anything he need not.

"From Aboveground?" She asked, hoping for a letter from Toby.

"The High Court." Scoot answered grumpily. He was never one for good company after a night of drinking. He handed her a letter, it was enveloped in fine gold paper with royal purple lining. It had the blue wax seal of the High Court with the symbol of Underground: a barn owl with gold tipped wings in the center of the wax. At first glace the owl looked like plain painted wax, but when Sarah looked a little closer she found it was a charm that could be removed with a little prodding and poking. She held it in her hand then opened the envelope to read the letter within. Her throat pinched in disbelief when she saw who exactly the letter had been sent from. The High King Tiran of Underground.

She was very still for a moment, the silence and rigid shape of her deportment actually caught Scoot's worried attention.

"Something wrong, sugar?" He asked and peered over her shoulder to see the letter.

"It's an invitation." She whispered.

"To what?" Having been raised a pirate Scoot couldn't read strong Fae language, accustomed to lazy Fae speech.

"The masked ball." Was the only answer he got for she immediately dashed up to the deck, inappropriately dressed as she was, and searched for Scar and Jay.

She found them quickly, or rather they found her, thanks to the cat-whistles and whoops of delight from the ship-mates as she darted around in a flurry, paying no mind to how far down he shirt slipped.

"Grow up," She called to her crew mates as Scar and Jay ushered her down back to her room. "You all know I've seen more of you then I should like."

"It pleases us that you should return the privilege!" That was Frizz's voice. She would slap him later.

Once downstairs Sarah handed Scar the invitation, thought the charm remained fisted in her hand. Jay read the letter after Scar.

"Well, it seems my dear sunflower," Papa Bear smiled. "That we must get you to the ball."

"I just don't understand why I was invited." Sarah said. "I'm no one here but a pirate!"

"Don't try to lessen your significance," Scar grumbled. "It's not flattering."

"You're not flattering." Sarah grumbled in return.

"Stop that you two," Jay commanded. "Sarah, go get dressed, the others may not mind you gallivanting around with no undies, but I certainly do. Scar, I want you to go gather some cash from the storages. I'm going to go talk to Margo about changing courses for the High Lands."

"Wait you don't actually expect me to go to this thing, do you?" Sarah said and snatched the letter.

"Sarah, if the High King wants you there, you should be there." Jay said. "Don't worry; it says you can bring someone." He eyed Scar.

Sarah frowned darkly, but turned to Scar with pleading eyes. "Please come with?"

"I don't have much choice with you." Scar scowled. "What's the dress code?"

"More then what we are wearing at present. And it looks like it's a masked ball." Sarah said glumly. Jay laughed.

"Don't worry you two, we'll barter a bit and get you some clothes for the ball." He assured and grinned. He left them groaning.

Sarah opened her hand to look at the charm. She wondered if there was a silver chain somewhere she could use to string it around her neck…

"What's that?" Scar asked. His voice made her jump.

"Came with the letter." She said.

"Interesting." He mumbled. "Isn't that the…never mind." He left hurriedly and Sarah swallowed her pride for a moment to whisper.

"I'll look for you Goblin King."

They landed at the ports of the High Lands some days later. Margo had been more then thrilled that Sarah had gotten an invitation to such a grand affair, but he was more thrilled with the fact that while Sarah and Scar were smiling and dancing for the King, the other crew mates would get a very good opportunity to rob and gamble in some of the nearby bars and game-houses. It was an all over legal day for them, there were worse things then stealing that they had been known to do.

The Ball was three days in the coming, plenty of time as Jay thought it for Sarah and Scar to find some proper apparel. The very day they landed Jay took Scar and Sarah with him to a nearby seamstress.

The shop itself was small, and stuffed with rows and rows of gowns and suits. They were all different colors, styles, materials, and Sarah found herself dizzy in a short few seconds of standing. To her embarrassment the seamstress, a burly elf with blonde hair like star shine and eyes like the sea, smiled and hurried Sarah to stand on a little podium in nothing but her corset and underskirt. Scar and Jay sat nearby, observing with delighted grins as the Elf woman poked about looking for just the right dress.

She appeared from under a pile of gowns with a dark green thing draped over her arm. In her free hand she held a mask of the same color.

"Try this for looks sweetie." She said and held open the dress for Sarah to step into.

It was a sleeveless gown, with a corset built into it. It was the color of a dark leaf, almost black, with small beads that reflected a lighter green sewn into the corset in neat rows. The skirt had multiple kicks so her legs were free, though with so many layers of skirt, all different greens, she found it would make for very heavy running. The seamstress put the mask on over her face, and then fluffed out her long hair so the strap vanished from sight under her waves.

Sarah turned around so she faced Jay and Scar. "Well, how do I look?"

Jay wore the proud smile of a father, but Scar's grin was a bit more hungry then proud. It made Sarah raise a critical eyebrow.

"I'll take it." She informed the seamstress who smiled and nodded.

Jareth sat in his throne next to his father's. It was not his favorite place. He watched the ballroom around him. Servants were dashing all over the place, cleaning and decorating. In the flurry of the preparation he had almost forgotten to review the invitations as his father had asked. But that didn't really matter. The council meeting was to be later that afternoon, and he knew that too much concern for trivial things would either drive him to his end or his complete insanity.

Darkness was seeping in Underground, it was hungry and black and feeding on everything that got in its way. From what his father had said it had fully consumed half the far countries in its emptiness, what were left of those places were nothing more then a few very dry and breakable bones. If any had lived the Darkness's over throw they were most likely prisoners to the Darkness, and its continuous energy source. That's what the King of the Dark Fae though. King Irvus was a creepy fellow, but he knew more about then Darkness then any other, considering it had formed not too far from the boundaries of his kingdom, his folk had been the first to see it. But Irvus was not able to come to the High Lands. Nor would he be able to leave seeing as half of his country was no nothing, thanks to the Darkness.

Tiran had called upon his powerful son for selfish reasons…again. _Come defeat the darkness I'm too much a baboon to do it myself. _Jareth felt like vomiting. But he had to do what his father wanted, as stupid as the High King was, it was law. He knew also that the Darkness was really his fault, his burden to destroy. The High King would never divulge that secret Jareth was assured of that, however if he could not destroy what he had created…what more could a desperate king do?

Jareth had been gifted, since he was an infant, with extraordinary enchantment. Some said it was because his mother died in child birth and all her magic was added onto his while he was pulled from her womb. With all that power, few were shocked to witness the creation of his Labyrinth. Many suspected he had created the Darkness… Smart fools.

Tiran had known from the very start what his son had created and why. When the Lady of the Labyrinth had left for home, only to return to her rightful home, Underground, Jareth had fallen into the pits of despair. He couldn't help it though, with all the tumbling storms of depression and longing slowly shattering him, he had to dispel some of the black magic that had formed within him. He chose the Dark Valley to release it…

_His father had watched from a nearby hill as the clouds of blackness had begun to pour from him, like smog from a dragon's nostrils. Though this poisoned air was much deadlier. When the High King could see the smoke clearer, he could count the many colors, none of them grand or beautiful. All the mute and dry glimmers of what was beautiful. In truth the clouds of Darkness were like a rainbow, all the tattered beautiful things Jareth had built up in his mind and heart. Once the pain set in these colors had dulled, with the glow of the Goblin King's eyes, the vivacious passion in his life. All had faded to chilled shadows of what they used to be._

_Jareth had cried out, from his place in the center of the Darkness, cried and screamed. "I cannot live! I cannot live! Not within…I cannot live within you!"_

_Tiran had not known what his son meant, but he sensed the growing danger as Jareth let the final waves of the Darkness seep from him and he lost control of it. Tiran yelled for his son, then dove forward, into the Darkness itself and grabbed hold of his child and dragged him from the raging turbulence of dark magic. He transported them quickly from the Dark Valley to a lonely tower in the security of Jareth's castle._

_Kneeling over his bewildered son, Tiran had implored him to explain the monster's origin of creation. Though he knew quite well what had caused it, the Fae King couldn't fathom how from a child, hardly one thousand years old with such gift of goodness be the father of such cruel darkness._

"_What! What Jareth!" He spat and rasped his son's shoulder's and shook him. "What have you done! Damned us all to be victim to your poison!"_

_Jareth swung his fist forward and came in contact with his father's jaw, splitting the skin of his knuckles the force was so great. Tiran dropped his hold and fell back from his son._

"_Why?" He moaned. No longer did he sound like a king, but rather a very old broken man. "Why, my boy? My boy! My boy who would rule this land! Prisoner of his heart, poisoned by a foolish mortal child! A child!" He screamed._

"_I love her!" Jareth said._

"_She doesn't love you!"_

"_I terrified her! I never gave her the chance to love! Whoever thinks fear has a hand in love is as cruel as the Death Lord himself!" Upon hearing his own words Jareth saw what he had done, what pain and grief he had formed. He saw before him, laid out in the light, his sin. And his own father called him out._

"_Hypocrite!" He sneered. "You know nothing of love."_

"_Neither do you." Jareth said. It was the same argument they had had over the years._

"_Don't you dare bring Elmina into this Jareth, your mother was mortal, and that is why I married her." He said._

_Jareth wanted to get down on his knees, to beg him to understand, but Tiran was a stone, unmoving and cold. "I love Sarah. Since I first saw her. She was a mortal as mother was, but I love her because she…" He sighed and a small very broken smile broke the ice of his expression. "She is beautiful, creative and curious and adventurous. She has more courage in her left eye then you have in your entire being." He added the last sentence with a very low, chilled tone._

_Tiran tightened up. Then he spoke, not like a father speaks to his son, but like a monarch to a much lower being of his court. His words stung like fire Jareth knew fueled the magic of Tiran's spell._

"_You," Tiran said. "Shall not speak to her with your voice, touch her with your hands, or let her look upon you for the rest of my days. Under the power of our fore-fathers', with the magic of all mortals, Fae, troll kind, goblins, every which folk, I curse you, my dearest child, for your own good. If this curse is broken, she, not you will suffer the pain of death by the Fires of the Land of the Slyth, the Ice of the Lands of Pola and every agony that I can grant to her. If you break this spell with your magic, I will personally find your little mortal girl and kill her myself." _

_Jareth's world was suddenly colder then he could ever remember it being before. His father had cursed him. He could not move for a very long time, even when Tiran left him and returned to the High Lands, Jareth remained, laying on the stone ground of the chamber. _

_Sarah._

_He conjured a crystal then jumped quickly to destroy it. In his need to see Sarah, he had almost forgotten the spell. What had the details been? _You cannot speak to her with your voice, touch her with your hands, or let her look upon you for the rest of my days. _He sighed in relief; there were loopholes, plenty of chances for squeezing through and cheating his way to Sarah. He only needed to think hard enough…_

Tiran watched from the highest tower as the Darkness swept slowly towards his lands. It had been three years, three years of Jareth's Darkness being contained. But it had grown, beaten every spell, every guard and was swallowing up their Underground. He had sired Jareth with Elmina, the magical mortal woman, Jareth had, in a way, sired the Darkness. He was the father of the Darkness. What father, Tiran deliberated, could destroy what they had created? He knew the answer. _He_ could.


	3. Chapter 3 Magic Dance

Chapter 3: Magic Dance

Sarah had the invitation tucked neatly in the secret pocket of her worn cape that served as her coat. The cape itself was green, and no one wanted to spend the money to buy a newer one, though Jay grumbled when she and Scar left about the poor quality in which they were sending her to see the king. It was worn and smelled of salt and the sea and dirt, but after each hand on board took a turn scrubbing the thing, the smells faded into a musk that reminded Sarah of Aboveground dish soap. Now, dressed in her new birthday gown, with her hair curled and down, with the owl pendant hanging just below the collar of her dress Sarah was prepared for the Ball.

Jay had driven the carriage to the castle for them. Once there Scar managed to perk up an expression that wasn't threatening.

"I'm not dancing anything too fast." He said as they walked up the marble steps that led to the huge oak doors.

"You don't even need to dance if you don't want to." Sarah said.

"Oh," Scar almost seemed down by this comment. "But I am your escort."

"So of course I'm going to demand more then just a waltz," Sarah adopted her ordinary tease tone she took with Scar, trying to lighten the tension that weighed them down in the air. "And I don't want any complaints from you Lanzer."

Scar gave her a lopsided grin. "None my lady."

They walked through the open doors, only to find the grand Hall was empty of Ball-goers. Instead there was what appeared to be a row of guards who were stationed pointing to the door that led to the Royal Gardens. Following without question Sarah let Scar lead her outside into a large vineyard and maze of gardens and statues, gazebos and as suspected, masked guests.

They donned their masks and Sarah revealed her invitation for a stationed guard who directed them to the center of the maze where a large circular glass gazebo laid station to the ball. Sarah was enchanted by what she saw, no detail was left untouched by the wonder of the Fae, everything glittered, and everything was beautiful, imperfect in such a way to make it perfect in nature. At the edge of the grand expanse sat three thrones, only one of which was filled, the other two held only abandoned royal crowns in their seats.

Sarah knew at first glance that it was the High King that sat in the throne, but she did not want to meet him. From far away she sensed a dangerous ripple of unguarded, indestructible power. He was handsome, an unpolished cold gem, brimming with eternal strength. But she did not like him, he was too cold of a stone, even the guests seemed to stiffen when he was near, and grow rigid with practiced poise to keep from drawing the attention of the High King. Fear was his power's wine, Sarah realized with a guilty sigh that Jareth could not be wholly blamed for his actions having grown up with a father like that.

They avoided conversation, swayed near dark corners and watched from the sidelines enjoying the simple destructive peace of the party. But very soon Scar and Sarah could not avoid the crowds anymore, an assembly line of people had begun to form to pass the thrones and pay respect to the King. Sarah had not been in the line long when she saw that the two thrones that had previously been empty had been filled, each by a masked man. The taller one refused to wear his crown; he was hooded, clothed in leather, masked in a familiar black mask. Her heart stopped and then began to dance, thudding inside her in an endless harangue of happiness. She was almost too excited, but she then noticed who sat in the other throne; a young woman, very beautiful, very elegant. Sarah watched with a slightly heavy heart as they approached, and she saw the woman was not of any relation to the King and his son. She could not have been Jareth's mother, she was too young of a Fae.

Scar noticed a distress in Sarah's expression, but did not have a chance to question her because they had reached the High King. He bowed, Sarah gave a graceful curtsy and he greeted the king kindly.

"Your Majesty it is an honor to be in your presence." He said.

Sarah did not speak for a moment, then she shocked Scar senseless when her words were distant, icy and almost…like the whisper of death. "Yes, thank you for the invitation, sire, you have a lovely home here in the High Lands."

It was unlike her. All her grandeur, her elegance was gone, and Scar couldn't name why. She had curled up into a very cold creature that was bent by propriety not to be a silent ghost.

The King did not sense this strangeness, or if he had he made not comment. But Scar noticed that the shadowed eyes of the masked Goblin King were flaring with a strange concern, never leaving Sarah.

"Thank my Lady," The King spoke with all the cold dignity a monarch was expected to have. "I thought it quite of the right order to invite such a magical mortal here on this occasion. One with a history with one close to me." He turned to Jareth. "You bested my son. Developed powers of your own. I must make you a friend of the family, it is my obligation as King."

Sarah wasn't making much sense of his words, her eyes stared vacantly from one object to the next, thought directly avoiding looking at the king's son, though she could feel his gaze as if he was watching her naked. "Of course, but I had been a little surprised by the invitation."

"To be sure, it is uncommon for a mortal, and a pirate at that to be invited to such a noble gathering." It was not the king that had spoken, but rather the woman in the throne. "One that is noted for being a destructive child."

All eyes save a pair of miss-matched ones, turned to her, though she did not cringe beneath the weight of the gaze. She straightened, smoothed her long gold hair down, adjusted her white mask, corrected a wrinkle in her gossamer gown, and waited to be confronted for the slight insult.

"And who," Scar said firmly. "Are you my Lady? Surely one of your ranks must not converse with kinds like Sarah very often. Had you been privy to her, and her personality before swallowing the gossip from silver-tongues you would know that Lady Sarah is but the embodiment of goodness."

The King spoke, a sense of urgency in the air making all words spark. "May I introduce Blanche of the Silver Folk, fiancée to my son Jareth."

The cloaked man did not move, Scar's hold on Sarah's arm went from a common escorts arm wrap to a much firmer, protective hold. She did not move.

Then he did something that terrified both Scar and Jareth. She smiled.

Jareth had to abide by the rules of the curse and Tiran had cursed him twice over by inviting Sarah. Blanche had not wanted to invite her, for obvious reasons, but after a few threats from Tiran she was silenced. The woman was a bitch. Jareth hated her with all the fury in his heart.

Tiran had chosen her for the Queen, Jareth's wife, the mother of the next heirs. Though he may wish to oppose, to refuse to do what was commanded of him, Jareth had to obey his father. So he courted the woman, two years ago and since then they had had a long separated engagement. She had lived in the castle at High Lands, never daring to step foot in the castle beyond the Goblin City where horror hid in every corner for her, every goblin ready to glue her hair to her pillows or shear her corsets to shreds.

When Jareth had seen Sarah as he sat down in his throne, he had grown very warm all over, his body reacting all too happily at the sight of his girl. But she had approached and very instantly understood what had not been spoken. She knew what the place of the woman sitting by his father. He felt the warmth leak away, replaced by a balmy cold.

Then she smiled and Jareth felt his world shatter inside. She smiled like she did not even care. He wasn't sure if this should make him happy; she'd finally gotten over him and nothing was stopping her from living to her content, or make him sad; he'd lost his Sarah. He then decided that this made him neither happy or sad, but angry. She was his. She would not give up just because a fool of a Fae woman got in the way.

Sarah spoke. "Congratulations, Majesty." Her voice was the picture of warmth and civility. "When is the wedding?"

"Oh, in a month, we will be sure to invite you." Tiran said. For the first time Jareth's eyes turned to his father sharply. But he could not speak, the King eyed him back with commanding whispers. "Silence."

"It looks as if the dances have begun. " Blanche said coolly. She stood and looked to Jareth, as if expecting him to join her. He made no move to, so the King stepped in.

"Shall we dance?" He asked.

She nodded and let him lead her out to the largest dance floor. The entire gardens were full of dance floors, though the enchanting music could be heard in even the most secluded of secret gazebos.

Jareth was silent as the grave. Scar did not speak, he bore the weight of a weakening Sarah on his arm. She smiled again to the only remaining monarch, though it was a very forced expression.

"Do excuse us your highness," She said. "I do think I should like to find some place to dance." The last part was a secret demand to Scar. He knew what she really meant; _get me the hell away from him!_

He gave a curt bow to Jareth, who titled his head in return and then dictated Sarah's path quickly from him.

He took her down a few flights of mossy stone steps, through a few tunnels of maze and then into a lonely gazebo where only a few stray doves gathered in the rafters. There was a stone bench, and he helped her settle there. Kneeling before her he rubbed her leg affectionately, trying without success to discern the expressionless look on her face.

After a few silent minutes, where his fear began to climax to panic, small tears began to dribble from her green eyes.

"Sarah!" Scar gathered her up in his arms and let her cry quietly.

"I just feel so foolish for loving him," She said between sobs.

"No," Scar soothed. "You are not, you love each other, and nothing can destroy that."

"You sap," She smiled and laughed a little, but her face still reflected her inward plight. "But you're wrong, what about his wife?"

"She's only his fiancée, and as far as I can tell, it was an arranged marriage. Besides," He wiped a few stray curls out of her eyes. "The Fae can only love once."

"I thought that was myth?" Sarah frowned.

"No, take it from someone who knows," Scar's face reflected a glimmer of sadness for a moment but the shine was quickly extinguished. "I am not Fae, but I loved one once. She died loving me, and I have not had it in me to betray her curse of eternal love, even in death for me."

"She would have wanted you to be happy," Sarah said, doing what he had done for her. "Even if that meant loving another."

Scar smiled a little, then jumped. A strange presence had arrived. But no one could be seen, the shadows played a deadly game of hiding. Sarah knew the presence though, her blood rose to her cheeks and her face tingled.

"It's Jareth." She said softly.

"Should I tell him to… 'hit the road'?" Scar said.

At any other time Sarah might have burst out laughing at Scar's attempt to talk like a mortal, but at that moment, she shook her head.

"Could you…" She sighed sadly.

"Yes," He understood. Her leaned in to his her forehead gently, though her mask was slightly in the way. "I'll leave, but I will not be far away should you need me."

She nodded and Scar walked out the way they came. For a brief moment she wanted to call him back, her fear overwhelmed her, but then the music changed. She knew the song better then any other song in the world, from the whispering voices of the silken violins to the chime of gentle bells, the piano, the beat, so tender like the beating of an humming bird's heart, though much slower, more romantic. She raised her eyes, all the tears dried and only the ache of their birth still rolling in her eyes. She saw him then, in the shadows, his form less then regal, and more the awkward bent form of a nervous man.

"May I have this dance?" His voice made her cry for joy inside. She may have run straight to him had she not been so afraid.

"Yes." She answered.

A darkness fell over the gazebo, almost too heavy to see through, but a few round crystals appeared in the center of the circular ceiling, and the closed area was alight with a moon-like glow.

Only when it seemed that all means of escape were closed off did Jareth approach her from the dark. He was as he had been for three years, masked, too far to touch, too dark to see. She wanted to take off the mask, but an itching feeling on her wrists told her magic was involved in this strange ploy. She had always gotten that feeling in that certain place when the magic was bad.

But she ignored it now, there were more important things left to do, to say.

"Jareth…" He had reached her, but he put a gloved finger over her lips, silencing her. Wordless and without hesitation he drew her close to him, so her entire body was against his. He wound a strong unbreakable arm around her waist, his other arm around her neck. For a moment it seemed they were not going to dance, then he drew his fingers from her neck down her arm the took up her hand. She let her spare hand res on his shoulder and they began to sway and spin across their little dance floor.

"Sarah." He whispered in her ear. "I love you." His voice was not his own, it was muffled and mutated as it always was, but Sarah didn't care.

"I love you too." She said.

His body quivered, he didn't seem like he could help it. He spun her around so her back was against him. The music had changed slightly, darkened, grown faster. His hand dipped low, to her ankle, their bodies bent together easily, and he ran that hand up her leg, pulling her skirt up along with his fingers. The caress was gentle, but Sarah shook with delight. They danced and moved as one form, like they were meant to be that way.

She turned around, then moved him across the floor to a stone wall, she pushed him up against it. She ran her hands over the leather that covered his form. She didn't like it there, she wanted to feel his skin, but she took what she had and loved it. He sighed, and melted in the happiness of her hands running over his chest, his ribs, and stomach. But the girl moved to touch the mask, and he reacted rashly.

He gripped her wrist. "Sarah, you cannot remove the mask. You can't see me."

Sarah was uncaring of what prevented this, she simply tore off a piece of stray material from her dress and tied it over her eyes. He gasped slightly then chuckled then drew her hands up to his face letting her remove the mask and drop it to the floor.

Her fingers were soft, tentative. They moved over his skin like the gentle tickle of butterfly wings, but they left fire trails in their wake, his skin flamed at her touch. She grazed his eyelids, drew her finger down the thin trail of his nose, but stopped with slightly shaking hands when she reached his lips. To encourage her in her shyness he moved to kiss her finger tips. Then she smiled, and ran her fingers over his mouth, encircling it, caressing them. It was making him very warm.

He knew she could not see, so he removed her fingers and held them fast in his hands then dove forward to kiss her lips quick and gentle.

She gasped; he drew away and watched for her reaction. She was still for a moment then crashed into him and kissed him, long and sweet. Their mouths opened for each other, their tongues met for the first time, though it felt to them they had known the other's mouth for much longer. He let his hands wander free over her body, touching her, feeling her thundering heart. Even when his hand grazed her breast, she did not protest; only tease him a little by pulling a little out of his reach. It was a perfect kiss, every moment was perfect and beautiful and nothing else mattered.

He had his Sarah in his arms. She would never leave them again.

A loud scream suddenly made Sarah jump. She tried to tear the blindfold from over her eyes, but Jareth stopped her because of the curse. She tried to fight him off, so he just dropped her arms and dove for his mask.

Sarah's eyes opened, but Jareth was on the ground, holding the mask to his face. Sarah was more then annoyed. The scream had been nothing more then the high chortle of a passing drunk pixie. But this fact was no the source of her great agitation; it was Jareth's frantic need to keep his face from her sight.

"Damn you Jareth." She spat angrily. She tried to storm away, but all walls had turned to stone around her and it felt as if they were slowly closing in. She had no magic, not even a trinket that could help her escape. She spun around, her hair a flaring curtain of darkness around her pale skin. "Let me out." She demanded.

"Precious, you must listen…" He tried to stand, but was a little tangled in his hood and cape. He managed to stand up then outstretched his arms for her.

"What must I listen to?" She said. "I came here as invited, I don't even know why in the Hell the High King would invite a pirate! And I see you…with her." She let those stupid tears spill out of her eyes, gushing rivers that reddened her face and embarrassed her beyond repair. "If you loved me at all you wouldn't have…"

"What?" He yelled quietly. "I wouldn't have followed you? Kept you safe when I was able, tried with all my might to find ways to see you even with this bloody spell over me!" He suddenly grew silent and fell down to his knees. "I don't want to marry Blanche, but the spell makes it impossible to be with you."

"Spell," She sighed and kneeled before him. "What spell?"

He looked up at her, and had she been able to see his expression she would have read deep angered sorrow. "My father is a hateful sinner. He was angry at what had happened to me when…"

"When I left you." It was not a question.

He nodded and continued. "I did something incredibly dangerous, and for that many are suffering. He was angry with me, more then that and… he already has a strong disliking for mortals. He loved a mortal, but she died very young, my mother, just after my birth. They had only been married a year, and she died. Since she died he's hated the mortal world and did all he could to isolate Underground from them. But… I met you. Loved you like he loved Elmina, my mother. When he saw how those emotions had destroyed me he cursed me to try and keep me away from you. The spell went: I cannot speak to you with my own voice, touch you with my hands, or let you look upon me."

There seemed to be something more that needed to be explained of the curse, Sarah was missing the conclusion. There was always some master punishment if such things were broken.

"What happens then, if I see you or you speak or touch me?" She said.

Jareth did not speak but looked up to her, his eyes shiny and sad. When he did speak his voice was empty and frightened. "You will die."

"Jareth." Sarah's voice had erupted from her mouth without her being able to contain the need to say his name. It was the name she had always called for when she was secretly afraid, and right now she was honestly afraid. And angry of course, but that emotion could wait until she had a chance to let out the emotions. Now she was sad and scared. She leaned forward and laid her head on his chest. "We don't need to be apart, we could just work with the curse…that is if you have forgiven me?"

He took her face up in his hands, watched her. There was a growing shadow nearby, but both ignored its crawling movements, neither had eyes for anything other then each other.

"Sarah," He said his voice thick with emotion. "I forgave you from the moment you refused me. I only needed time to try and solve my twisted ways. I wanted your fear, when really all I needed to survive was your love. Never blame yourself for anything bad I've done. No matter what anyone says, I love you and you are not to blame for anything."

He picked up the blindfold and tied it over her eyes once more. He removed the mask and kissed her, quickly and fiercely, knowing their time was starting to come to an end. He left her soon after, still blindfolded. Once he was far enough away he removed the stone walls and she was free to move about the gazebo once again.

He smiled as he left to return to the main gazebo. Before he'd left her, he noticed the chain around her neck had fallen loose, and hanging on the end was the little owl pendant he'd secretly put in the wax of her invitation. He'd dropped a small crystal in front of her blinded form as he vanished, left it knowing she would contact him, whisper to him in the night. Hope followed him through the evening, he saw Sarah occasionally, smiling with her good friend Scar, dancing with many monarchs. Delighting herself in the treats of Fae food. All was well, save a bit of jealousy on his part every time Scar made her smile, or another monarch, married or otherwise was drawn in by her beauty and bright personality and asked for her hand to dance. He thought it safe to steal one public dance, but it was all modesty and he hardly earned a few laughs from Sarah. But he could see the subtle warmth in her eyes, the deepening of the already shimmering green. Behind the propriety and calm disposition she was displaying, he could sense her secret affection, her hushed love.

Soon though she had to go, as all the guests began to dwindle and few. He stood at the gates with his father and Blanche, saying farewell to each guest. But when he held her hand to kiss her hand, they shared a fiery look, one that no one else could see or understand. It was sweet and loving, a look that said: I'll dream with you later. Sarah could feel her insides sink ever lower into the flames, searing in the heat, so painful she could cry, but it was a sweet pain. Once Scar had directed her outside and far enough from the Castle to pause for a moment she sat down and began to laugh, quietly, happily Scar smiled and laughed a little as well, each savored the sound of pure childish pleasure. They had no way of knowing it wouldn't last long.


	4. Chapter 4 Fallen Star

Hikari no Minerva…what do you think is going to happen? As for the rest of my reviewers many many thanks my goblins! Your thoughts couldn't be sweeter! Here's the next installment, sorry for the late update, I'm caught between this one and Hell's Fire Part 2, which is in demand. I love how this story still has some folks rooting for it.

Chapter 4: Fallen Star

The next few days on the Emerald Queen were peaceful, the raid the crew had gone on during the ball was a total success and the crew came home with armfuls of precious silks and stones they had snagged from foolish party-goers who had stumbled too near them. Sarah had laughed her heart up out of her mouth when she realized that Margo and the crew had snuck into the ball unnoticed. Though she wasn't very surprised, the idea of such burly, unwashed men of lower heritage would be able to go anywhere near the High City without their scent being caught.

Among the stones, trinkets and other junk that would make a grand heaping load of cash there were two bags of sand which Sarah puzzled over silently until Scar gave a helpful dose of information about the course dust.

"It's sand to be accurate," He said. "But it has a magical quality to it only noble Fae can use or recognize."

"What does it do?" Sarah had leaned down to scoop up a handful of the stuff and run it through her fingers.

Scar shrugged. "It depends on the Fae; King Oberg used it in a soup for flavor, Lord LinAon made a wall around his grounds with it. Some princess used it to destroy a lover who betrayed her."

"Sheesh," Sarah looked back down at the dust in her hands, and then let it drop away back into the burlap sack. She didn't go near it again.

It was a star-struck night; the sea was calm and glossy. The _Emerald Queen _slept peacefully on the stillness. Sarah was on guard-duty, a job the 'Queen of the Queen' as she was dubbed, rarely took. Not that she minded, though she treasured her sleep, after the bountiful raid Margo and the crew felt they deserved time to bathe in the glory of their hard work. Scar and Sarah took turns playing night-guard, but since they alternated, each staying up one night and sleeping the next day while the other took care of meals or other things then stayed up that night. It was complicated and long and days and nights were a blend of serving and sleeping and watching. Very little conversation passed between them which irritated Sarah, she was keen to express every little detail about what had happened at the party, whether or not Scar wanted to hear it.

Sarah took a sip of the warm sweet tasting flavored water. She'd never had _'Carissima Rosa'_ before, but Margo had gone on a special trip to steal them for her. He had collected three of the huge knee-length bottles, which were a royal blue glass with gold leaf carved into the glass to bear the image of the royal crest and the name of the drink. Sarah was enjoying the quiet night, though the muggy heat made her drowsy, and she was sure the drink would send her to sleep with all of its strange sweetness fogging her head. The ever-rare silence was a blessing, one that enabled her to hear her own thoughts and contemplations. However, being so engrossed in this blessing meant she almost missed the flickering light as it glinted far off on the sea.

She stood up, placing the cup on the floor and watched carefully in the distance. More and more lights began to peek up from the horizon, all coming from the direction of the High City. Alarm shot through Sarah. The lights it seemed were heading toward the _Emerald Queen_, most likely following the soft glow of the lantern that hung over Sarah's head, the only lonely light. She immediately pinched the flame to smoke streams and waited again, trying to calm her racing heart. She could see the numbers now, there were more then fifty ships, maybe hundreds more, and cutting through the night with a speed that Sarah did not think was possible. With not even a gentle breeze those boats should have been moving much slower, hardly at all. But as they gained on the Emerald Queen Sarah saw what fueled their movements.

"Water-mares." She breathed quietly. She had never seen any so close before. "Margo! Scar! Papa! Scoot! Naz! Frizz! Maze!" She called for the crew members.

Margo, with only his trousers and red knee-length coat came out from his quarters and joined Sarah.

"We got ships," She said. "And water-mares."

"Frell!" Margo cussed and spun to the bow of the boat. He barked commands to the crew, each men worked with a diligence that would shame the greatest of the king's fleet crews.

From out of nowhere Scar appeared behind Sarah, who had stood like a useless doll watching the mares as they swam on the top of the foam of the waves, bearing the ships on their backs. He put a hand on the small of her back and held a silver telescope to her eye and directed it to the grandest of ships where Sarah could see, in plain light of a burning fire-sprite the face of a terrified High King.

"I don't think they're chasing us," She said. "They look a great bit spooked."

"I would say they are more then spooked. Look." Scar said. Around them everything had gone silent, the crew had stilled, and Margo had stopped commanding them.

"Oh gods save us." Jay whispered.

Sarah lowered the telescope from her eye and her mouth dropped. Seeping clouds of multi-colored Darkness were chasing the ships. Sarah was still, the fear of the coming death shattering her hope. She had one hope though, one single selfish hope that Jareth would come and steal her away from the ship, hide her, protect her. She knew he would if she asked.

"Sarah!" Margo called from above.

She turned to face his captain. "Sir?"

He gave her a weak smile. "Happy birthday, love."

Jareth was sitting on his throne, a little crystal in his hand. Sarah had been drinking quietly for an hour and he had been watching her happily from the Goblin City. It was her birthday, she was eighteen now, he smiled, a little lady. He had wanted to send her something, a little token of his love but he found nothing was suitable to give her. So instead he had planned to send her friends to wish her a good day, Hoggle, Ludo, and the noble if somewhat naturally bonkers Sir Dydimus. He had called them to the castle and the sounds of their arrival drew him from the crystal.

He sent a goblin to fetch them from the main hallway and once they appeared at the doorway of the throne room he straightened and let a cool mask of evasive indifference fall over his slight smile.

"Your Majesty," Hoggle bowed.

"Hogbrain," Jareth gave a less then caring nod to the dwarf. "I have a request for you."

Ludo wrinkled his nose, an expression Jareth was sure Sarah would adore. Hoggle frowned and asked. "What?"

"It is our precious Sarah's birthday," He said. "And I am sure she would greatly enjoy a visit from her dear friends."

Hoggle's crystal blue eyes widened. Dydimus smiled and ruffled his spiky tail in delight. Even Ludo clapped his hands and cried. "Sawah!"

Jareth formed a crystal and looked into the glassy depths to see where he should send the crew of traitors to meet her. But when he looked into the crystal he found the crew in shambles, a black storm by the looks of it forming around the small _Emerald Queen_. Sarah was nowhere to be seen, and then a flash of green could be seen dashing across the deck. She was wearing a green dress, torn by the looks of it. Her hair was in shambles all tangled in front of her eyes as she stumbled in a pair of very oversized boots.

Jareth felt his anger boil. What would he do now? Then all anger diminished when he realized the storm was not a storm in the least; it was the Darkness.

"Sarah!" He cried and leapt into his owl form and let the clouds of glittering magic swallow him. He reappeared in the bowls of his creation and he burst from the clawing mist he had made. Not far below he could see the Emerald Queen a tiny speck of chaos and light. In the belly of the Darkness, just under its harsh lip Jareth could see his father, near death by a breath of Darkness. But his father didn't matter. He only needed to save Sarah. In his furious frantic he had hardly noticed the strange thing happening to Sarah down on the _Emerald Queen_. He was too busy conjuring a great wind spell in the hopes of blowing the Darkness back across the ocean, a foolish idea but he could not think of anything else.

Sarah felt fear rolling like warm waves inside her. Margo watched as she whispered quiet commands to herself, a habit in time of stress so as not to lose her train of thought. Scar watched too, once he had given up the frantic game of racing against the Darkness with no leverage to move, and it was Scar who noticed the change first.

It was subtle too be correct, almost unnoticeable, but her skin none the less was starting to glow. It changed first in her hands, they glittered as if sprinkled with stardust and the twinkling continued with a strange fluidity over her arms. She herself did not notice it, which amused Scar to hysteria. The glow spread until the entire crew was baffled watching as Sarah bounced about, a lonely competitor against the Darkness, sparkling like a star. And then she saw it, finally she broke her concentration with enough time to glance downward and gasp.

But it was too late to react to her change, for all at once the monster in the sky tumbled down, like a falling cloud of weight and no one could see or feel. It was like death had come with sharp little claws and had ripped their souls from their bodies.

Jareth rose from the Darkness the following morning, a few hours before the dawn. It had moved, beyond his control to the Desert of Thymus and it was there under the orange sun that he left it and soared back to the place where his most beloved had last been. He reached the sea, but found the water to be scattered with debris from his father's ships, but no traces of broken boards with green paint passed his view. The _Emerald Queen_ was nowhere to be found.

Above him there came a soft cry, a whisper of some poor seagull's panic he guessed. With a limp neck he turned his face upward but fond no seagull, nor any sort of bird. For up in the sky, covered by glittering angelic magic floating the _Emerald Queen_, many thousand miles in the violet-peach sky.

"Sarah!" He cried, through his owl's beak and soared upward to the boat, his heart thundering inside him.

Scar had been knocked out from the blast of it all, and it seemed he was not the only one. Around him crew members were waking, all scattered about the deck, some bruised, some with minor injuries. They all woke under the suspicion that they were dead, and opening their eyes would produce for them the world of the dead. However, though none seemed particularly annoyed with this, they found at the eye opening moment that passed all of them with a tremor of terror that they were not dead in the least. Quite alive in fact, on a very large ship that was floating like it was second nature through the clouds.

Their gaze all move to Sarah, after their hearts were calmed and they believed their lives were in tact, and she lay in the center of the boat, hair splayed, like she had been picked up and thrown down. The light reverberating from her skin was beautiful, the kind of beauty one could love and fear all at once. No one dared touch her, for it became very clear to them that it was her light and her own magic that was fueling the ship. She had saved them from the Darkness, yet no one moved to wake her. She herself did not move either, Margo and Jay shared a horrified look until they noticed the ever so slight movement of her chest as she breathed. With sighs of relief the two men took tentative steps near her. Only Jay was brave enough to call out her name.

Scar sucked in a terrified breath when she did not answer. Jay dropped all fears and jumped to his adoptive daughter. He shook her, called her name loudly and slapped her cheeks. But she never moved.

Scar crawled across the deck to her and gathered up her head in his knees. So engrossed was he in calling for her that the elf-man didn't notice when a tall, noble Fae landed with a soft clunk of boots on the deck. Around this grand Fae the air reeked of excess magic, a smell too sweet to be pleasant. Members of the _Emerald Queen _took sight of him as he passed with wary, but commanding steps to where Scar held Sarah, and they kneeled in respect.

Scar's attention was at once lifted by the uncommonly silence and he let his eyes raise up to the face of the man who stood waiting before him.

"Jareth?" He asked.

The Goblin King did not answer. He squatted down and gathered up Sarah in his arms like a broken rag doll. Scar backed away and leaned against the side of the deck, something inside him making it difficult to watch.

Jareth gently scooped her up against his chest to stand, then turned to Jay and asked quietly where her room was. The man answered with a pointed finger to the room below the bow. Jareth walked there, vanishing with Sarah into the dark bedrooms below, looking like his flowing robes had swallowed them into a dark hand.

Margo turned from the shadow of the display and called out to his crew with a voice strained. "So, how do we navigate in this sort of weather men? We can't see beyond our eyes and the clouds are getting puffier."

Below in the warm recess of her bedroom, Jareth held in hi hand the glowing hand of his love. She wasn't moving. His mind couldn't dismiss the thought. She was alive, but she wasn't moving. He felt helpless and afraid. The monster he had created hadn't destroyed her, but it had paralyzed her somehow while she managed to save her beloved crew.

Jareth felt ridiculously without power. He cradled her close to him then, letting his tears fall. He almost didn't notice her soft groan against him when his tears touched her lips. Nor did he really pay mind to the fact that her breathing had quickened and her eyelashes were brushing against his neck.

Only when a small voice whispered his name did his eyes open and his heart burst and he pulled her away from his chest. He was suddenly aware of how she could see his face, but Sarah had been smart, if not cheeky in the sense that she clamped her eyes shut tight when he pulled her to look at her face.

"Jareth." She said again and her voice sounded like music from Heaven. He kissed her, quickly and with a fierceness unrefined by noble courtesy or chastity. He kissed the woman he loved, his joy of her existence frothing over the brim until it was spilled all out before him for her to see.

For now, deep within the safety and privacy of the Emerald Queen they were safe. They both knew though that the damned curse, out living his father, would follow them for a while. They still had no idea how to end it. And then of course there was still the matter of the Darkness. It had gone beyond Jareth's notice at the time that the Darkness had seen Sarah, had lunged for her with the impending desire to destroy her, but had failed. No doubt it sensed its failure and would return again to steal away the girl that had beaten it. It was only a matter of time.


	5. Chapter 5 Monolgue of Mischief

Chapter 5: Monologue of Mischief

Muddled and bland, rumble tumble….crash. Swallow, hungry _where is he?_ Jareth. _Where is he?_ Sorrow, unbendable, fatigue, unwavering. Cold hands touching, grinding sharp nails, inside….deep inside. _Let me out!_ _Magic_ and _magic_ and _magic _and _more_ _more more more more_…._Sarah_…._Sarah_…**She** **who destroys the Darkness will destroy the agony**…._Sarah_…. _Help me_.

Sarah had to think very hard for her thoughts to settle, calming her mind was like calming a band of drunk goblins which in her experience was near impossible. She had fallen asleep again not long after waking and Jareth had left her sometime during the nap. When she opened her eyes she found her skin still glowed in that peculiar way. She scratched at her skin as if the glow would sand away, like dried mud. But she only managed to make the stuff glow even brighter. With the way her body glowed she could be a light-pixie, though they were not really lights themselves, they had an artificial blaze on their skin many times darker then Sarah's skin. She went to her mirror, a stolen silver lined piece of beauty that she treasured. In the glass her light was reflected making it difficult to see her image perfectly, so she abandoned the mirror changed her clothes and went upstairs to the deck.

Over desert. Hot like fire, rolling, spinning, tripping, curdling _fire fire fire_. Stomp like thunder. Man with hairs like golden-silver-golden-silver streams like waterfalls. _Smell. _Smell like…_Sarah_…star dust…creeping dust…creeping madness_. Me me me me me me._ Thrust forward into ocean. Swallow salty tangy fishes. Agony ripples and tickles and _stings_ like needles.

Sarah looked around the deck. Each crew mate had someone to sit with and chat to, everyone was watching her when she appeared at the doorway. Margo and Jareth were standing close, speaking in quiet tones she could not hear, but they stopped suddenly and turned their soft smiles her way.

She ran to the edge of the boat and peered over the side and saw nothing but air and a tiny ocean far below. She gasped, fear running through her and the boat dropped suddenly forty feet.

"Sarah!" Margo called. "Stay calm, it reacts to your emotions!"

Oops. She shut her eyes and immediately the dropping stopped and the boat settled. "Did we lose anyone?" She asked, cautious to keep her eyes shut.

The answer came in a shriek from above and then a thud as Scoot hit the deck quite literally. He obviously had not been paying enough attention. Groaning he sat up and glared at Sarah, but she did not see the glare.

Must find her. _Must find her._ Up down, under above_. Where?_

She sat down and looked up at Jareth and Margo who stood watch over her shining body like two lions prepared to feast on any creature foolish enough to come her way. She curled her arms around her bent knees and listened to their conversation, a passive contributor.

"If you think I'm letting anyone come near her you're quite mistaken," Margo said. "Why should I trust you so much?"

Both looked to Sarah who gave Margo a dark gaze. He sighed. "I suppose my thoughts are overruled. But why should you have to take her away?"

"Because," Jareth said with an authority that made Sarah want to smile. Even with the mask, Jareth was a thunderous presence and she loved to see him express his superiority even if it was to the amazing Captain Margo. "You are now carrying a severely precious cargo, everyone in Underground will know of your victory over the Darkness and everyone will try to get their selfish hands on her."

"Like you are?" Margo's voice was starting to rise.

Jareth laughed, but it was a mocking chortle. "Really? You barbarian think I'm trying to steal her away for my own selfish purposes? How ignorant could you be!" He laughed again.

Sarah stood, her green eyes warning Jareth to hush and in turn warning Margo to keep his temper. "Stop it the both of you! I did not stop the Darkness, in fact I'm not sure what I did. But whatever it was it doesn't make me some chattel to sell or keep hidden."

"You did stop the Darkness Sarah, don't you remember?" Margo said and Jay joined the conversation.

"Darling, what you did was amazing," He said and took her hands in his. "And people are going to fight over you, regardless of what you say you will only ever be property to them."

"Which is what I am trying to prevent," Margo said and placed his hand on her left shoulder. Jareth in turn laced his gloved hand on her right shoulder.

"My only concern is for Sarah and her well being." Jareth said firmly.

The two men shared a look so intense that Sarah thought they may start fighting right there, however Jay spoke up, a voice of reason in the chaos.

"It would be much safer, Margo if Sarah went and stayed in the Goblin City, the Darkness passes over that place without touching it."

"But what good would it really do, I mean, she could save the world if she wanted to, but all we're concerned for is her safety when the rest of the world is still in jeopardy." Margo was getting off topic a habit he had when he was angry. He finally sighed, exasperated and his hand dropped and he turned away. Sarah planned to talk with him later.

"Now can anyone tell me what it is I did?" Her words were met with laughter.

Bleeding dreams and funny things. Swallowed a little elf child. Sarah had eyes like that child's eyes. _Green green green green._ Fill up insides with_ light_ and _green_. Dancing smiling Sarah deep inside of tattery totter things. Visions and music.

Scar could tell stories better then anyone. She sat to the left of him with Jareth in turn at her left and so on the circles of crew members, save Margo were there to listen. Scar sighed and began, the wonder and relief in his voice unforced.

"When the Darkness crept across the water, we were sure death would follow," He told. "But one light, one perfect little light that burned like star-shine gave us hope. Sarah was rushing here and there doing what she could, unaware that she had begun to shine." As he said these words many of the crew members looked over to Sarah and smiled, she still flamed like a star. "Then all at once the Darkness descended upon the _Emerald_ _Queen_ and no one could move. But like a sweeping wind, a pulsing beam of light pierced in the Darkness and it scattered as if stung and we could see Sarah, like a sun, blazing in the air above the ship. Then all at once the _Emerald_ was lifted out of the water and into the air, away from the last remaining strands of creeping Darkness. "

There was silence, then someone farted and the crew fell into rambunctious laughter even as Jareth grimaced and Sarah blushed and giggled. It seemed that once again things were still content.

_Fire._ Raged and burning from the ocean deep, crawling to the surface. Smell so strong and clear. _She is near me!_ _Faster and faster and faster! _Catch her and keep her. Possess her. Contain her. _Kill_ her.

Tiran raised his head and around him he found the ocean. He'd had some hope that when he'd fallen asleep and woken that the ocean would be gone but that wasn't so. It was cold and it was heavy and weary. How long had he been there? Floating aimlessly for no reason through those damn waves, knowing full well his son knew he was alive. He cringed at the thought that Jareth was somehow crowning himself High King. He knew he wouldn't, though the throne was the only thing Tiran had left to fret about so he fretted to the farthest reaches of his imagination. Only a few things would get him out of this ocean, a call of a curse or death. Swimming was a useless idea, there was no place to swim to. This ocean led to Nowhere, the country of lost souls. He certainly would not go there.

The Darkness had licked up his boats and some of his people and left him stranded. He was angrier then ever that he was trapped, but angrier then he had ever been toward his son. In the end it was Jareth's fault and sooner or later Jareth would have to pay the price, like he did. Soon there would be blood.

In the West where the _Emerald Queen_ slept up in the dusk sky.

In the South where the tyrannical High King floated in the sea.

In the North where the Great Ones watched from above.

In the East where the Darkness was slowly growing strong.


	6. Chapter 6 Haunted Dreams and Realization

Chapter 6: Haunted Dreams and Realization

Sarah rolled over and bumped into the bed post. Again. She was not used to the bed she slept in, with it's posts and canopy and soft blankets and stillness. Too many years on the sea left an imprint of expectation for sleeping, if you weren't swaying slightly, rocking with the boat then something was very wrong. However she was more accustomed to the bed and had adjusted easily. But the crew members were a constant river of complaints, always nagging the Goblin King and any servant foolish enough to listen to them. They had transported quickly from the North Sea to the Goblin City, but even after three weeks the crew was angry at the loud goblins, disturbed by the stillness of the ground and growing fat with the healthy food. Jareth however and Scar for the most part seemed to feel that this trade of settings was bet for all of them. They were secluded, safe, and Sarah's powers were still at most secret.

But, try as she might she could not get used to those bed posts, they drove her every morning to sleep on her couch when she clunked her head and whichever crew mate came to fetch her would find her there, curled up like a cat sporting a lovely bruise of every sort of purple or black hue. That morning she dragged herself to the couch per her usual routine. Outside the sun had just started to rise over the City and golden light was fleeting and shadowed in her room. Once she was wrapped up in her blanket she began to sleep and dream.

It was late afternoon, someplace far at the other end of the castle Jareth was awake, but lying on his bed. On the east side of the castle there was little to no sunlight until dawn so Jareth was lying on his bed in quiet dim relaxing light when he heard the clatter of something big fall. Annoyed he went to his door and opened it. Outside stood a very disheveled looking Scar, clothes soaked in sweat, looking as if he'd been trampled by an elephant.

"Good heavens what's happened?" Jareth asked.

Scar made a strange sound in his throat and his mouth opened up only to have pools of dark blood run over his lip and down over his shirt and splatter on the cold metal floor. Jareth jumped back but blood as Scar coughed flew everywhere marking everything with its strange black-red shade. Jareth was soon soaked.

Then Scar coughed so hard that his body burst and out from where his skin had contained in hold burst forth the billows over smoldering crying Darkness. It fogged the room instantaneously, swallowing up everything, killing everyone…

Jareth woke when his ear caught the sounds of screams. He sat up in bed and focused hard, trying to decide how far they were. Then he recognized them; Sarah. He flew from his bed and ran down the hall, seeing curious crew members who had poked their sleepy heads out from their bedrooms. When he reached her bedroom Margo and Scar and Jay were already there, all yelling Sarah's name, crying for her to wake up. Scar was first to notice Jareth's entrance and moved quickly out of his way least he be trampled by the Fae man. Margo felt someone's strong hand land on his shoulder and pull him from his kneeling position on Sarah's bed. Jareth leaned down over her, pinning her thrashing terrified body still and whispering in the softest voice calming words that soothed her.

Margo and Jay watched amazed at how easily Sarah's subconscious relaxed when Jareth spoke. The man stroked her face, her hair and eyelids, all the while whispering and coaxing her out of the nightmare. Scar stood in the far corner of the room, watching the display with an almost hurt feeling. He turned to leave.

Out in the hall out side her bedroom he sat down on the ground, trying to relax the muscles that had wired tightly in his chest. It was a strange sensation; one that he knew was breaking ever code of Fae mentality, he struggled for some way to explain it. He was so lost in thought he did not notice Jay approaching, nor did he show any signs of breaking his thought when Jay sat down beside him.

"Scar," Jay spoke and finally he looked up. Jay gave him a smile, but Scar didn't return it.

"My boy," He sighed. "You truly are a walking contradiction."

"Shut up." Scar said.

"No, really, you're quite amazing," Jay laughed. "Lucky too, you have loved twice."

"I have not!" Scar jumped up and stared down at the old pirate, eyes dark. "You think I love that freak of a mortal? You make me sick old man."

"None the less, our dear Sarah has stolen your heart." Jay said, his smile unwavering. "And now, you're jealous of her love."

"I said shut up." Scar grumbled. He was losing his temper. He turned and stormed away, knocking a vase off a hall table as he went, sending the inhabitant of the vase, an infant Firey scrambling.

From out of Sarah's room came Margo, his face confused as he watched Scar's retreating form. "What on earth is wrong with the boy?" He asked.

Jay stood, his smile finally vanishing into a tired frown. "He has fallen in love again."

"Oh, gods." Margo sighed and shook his head. "What will we do?"

"I don't know," Jay answered. "I really don't know."

Jareth kissed her face, her cheeks, her nose, her eyelids. He had removed his mask and tied a blindfold around her eyes. They were alone now and with the door locked he could comfort her the way he liked and show her how much he loved her. She woke smiling, letting him shower her with kisses and love and endearments as she tried to shake off the terror of her nightmare. He began to kiss her neck and she sighed and twisted the ends of his frosty blonde hair around her fingers. It was a sweet ordeal, one that made everything else feel like a dream and that this was the only reality; Jareth, her bed and the star-scarred night. But the meaning of the nightmare reminded her that his was not the reality of her world, that this magical love between her and her old teacher, the ruthless Goblin King, was a piece of a dream and that the Darkness, the death, and her immunity to it was real. Their love was just the foreshadowing of a life that may be. She prayed so hard that the life they could have would be, but each night her dreams grew dark and bloody, filled with agony and despair. And her sense of reality was dimming.

Jareth sensed her sudden tension and paused in his action and rose to look down at her. She let her eyes meet his and in them she saw the same shadowed worry she felt. Sighing she tugged him down on top of her and held him close, his face buried in her neck where it had previously been. But he moved so he could lay his ear over her heart and listen to it's steady beat. She could feel his warm breath there, and a flush rose over the skin it warmed. He could in turn feel the heat of her blush under his cheek and a small part of him smiled darkly.

"Precious," He sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

Her body shook a little as she laughed. "Keep me."

"Without a doubt, but while I am keeping you what will I _do _with you?"

"You're flirting with me," Sarah smiled. "It sounds so…"

"Amazing?" He asked.

"Odd." She smiled at his deflating sigh.

"Well, I feel right stupid now." He said. "Should I not flirt with you?"

"No!" She sat up and he kneeled between her legs, sensing her muscles tightening. "Go ahead and flirt, I meant it sounded odd because… well I'm not sure, we don't seem to be a flirting couple."

_Couple._ The word hit Jareth like a handful of bricks. Black sparkles danced across his eyes and he felt a ridiculous smile invade the features of his face.

"We're a couple?" He asked and took a crawling step forward. She smiled, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"I thought we were." She said. "Unless you just want me for my body." She laughed.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Believe me my precious girl, if I wanted you only for your body I would've appeared and taken you long before in your dreams."

"But you did." Sarah whispered and smiled.

"Pardon me for forgetting." He said and took her hands in his and pinned them down, one on each side. "Was it something like this?" He asked and kissed her face from her forehead to her chin.

She giggled and nodded. "Something like that."

"Did I happen to kiss you here?" He kissed her throat. "And here, and here." He kissed her neck, the dip between her neck and shoulder, between her breasts, at the break of her ribs, her stomach. She gasped and he paused and moved back up and kissed her mouth, hard and long until she was dizzy and gasping for air.

He pulled back to look at her and she smiled up at him in such a way that nearly broke his bursting heart. He laid down on her, his face sideways against her chest. But she rolled to her side and pushed him to his side as well so she could lay with her back to his chest an cuddle up against him. From this vantage he could kiss and nuzzle her back and neck with ease, which he did until she relaxed into a gentle state of sleep in his arms.

He dozed too, but not as heavily as she did. So lightly in fact that when one man came into the room to leave a note for Sarah, Jareth saw him.

Scar, the elf-Fae, in all his somber glory stepped almost silently into the room and placed a folded parchment down on a table beside the reading chair. Jareth sat up, leaning against his elbow, his other arm still wound around Sarah tightly.

"Scar?" He asked.

The elf sighed and said. "It's Lanzer, actually. Scar is just my nickname."

"I know." Jareth said.

"Of course you do." Scar sighed. He sat down in the chair. He gestured to Sarah's sleeping form. "She sleep's like the dead you know, hardly wakes up, even during storms."

"I know that too," He smiled and looked down at Sarah. She rolled over in her sleep and cuddled up to Jareth her face buried in his chest.

Jareth looked back up at Lanzer, waiting for him to speak, but the man didn't move, he just watched Sarah with a distant look in his warm brown eyes.

"Lanzer?" Jareth asked.

Scar shook his head to clear it then looked up at the Goblin king under a mess of black hair. "I'm leaving." He said.

"What?" Jareth sat up further and leaned against his pillows. In her sleep Sarah adjusted her position, her head on his lap turned upward. Jareth picked her up and pulled her to sit on his lap, her face buried in his neck.

"I said I'm leaving," Scar repeated. "I'm going to find a place to stay, I can't stay here any longer."

"Why ever not?" Jareth couldn't hide the insult in his tone but it was shaped with worry as well.

The elf grimaced. "The answer is in the letter for Sarah. I only hope she can forgive me." His voice faded off into nothing and the man stood. "Farewell Goblin King, I wish you joy."

"Lanzer…" Jareth frowned. "You'll hurt Sarah, you know that."

But Scar paid him no mind and turned and closed the door behind him. Jareth sighed and fell back into the pillows, Sarah still asleep against him. "I'm so sorry, precious." He whispered.

_ Sarah,_

_ It's been a lot of fun, being a mate with you. But it's time for me to go, I find myself incapable of withstanding a friendship with you when my heart and mind and body are directing me otherwise. I know admitting this to you right now, when I'm gone is wholly unfair but I couldn't make myself face you, know that the feelings aren't returned and still be chivalrous about the action. I love you Sarah. I have broken the curse of the Fae and am now the bearer of two loves. I have nothing to offer you, nothing to take from you to win you or anything else. I know that you love Jareth with all your heart and soul, how can I compete with true love? Don't forget me Sarah, I will never forget you. As for where I am going I don't know. I can hope that in my wanderings I don't stumble across the Darkness. I plan to return to the Goblin City in three years time. Maybe by that time you'll be married, or a mother. You would make a lovely mother. _

_With all my love,_

_ Lanzer, or Scar_

Sarah held the paper in her hands. It couldn't have been true. She sent the crew all around the castle to search for him. She didn't let Jareth part from her side, even with the blindfold as the nuisance in exchange for brief touches and love and she never stopped stroking his face, touching his hair, kissing his face. He let her assure herself that he was real and there knowing she needed the touch and sensation of his realness. He answered her kisses with ones of his own, her hand in his was gripped tightly and she was never far from him. In the end he himself needed the assurance as well. Still wrestling with he fact that the monster he had created almost killed her, each moment he spent with her was like a blessing, every touch a tangible joy.

Jay stayed near as well, the chaperone the couple had never had before and it made their transactions of love a bit awkward. No kiss was committed without a frown from Jay, no touch was unguarded or drifting from platonic. It left them both on their toes.

A day after Scar's disappearance Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Dydimus came to the castle for a visit. Jareth arranged a picnic for them in the east gardens and Sarah went to spend the day with her beloved friends. Meanwhile Jareth changed forms to search as much of Underground as his wings could carry him. He had traced nearly half of Underground before finding Scar. He would have to make a note to get rid of the back door that led straight out of the Labyrinth later.

The elf was trying to cross a very deep river when the Goblin King came upon him. But he did not notice the owl land near him and continued in trying to find a shallow way to cross through.

Jareth transformed and spoke. "It would be much easier to cross if you took the bridge not three miles downstream." He said.

"Damn!" Scar swung around, a dagger in his hand. "Oh, it's only you." He sighed and stuck the dagger back in his belt.

"Yes, only me." Jareth laughed. Some of that pain-in-the-ass son of the High King bitchiness came back. "But you are by far much better off with me finding you then Sarah." His tone was quite sharp.

Scar winced. "Is she angry"

"Must you ask? She cried an hour when you left, I'm sure she would've cried longer were it not for the fact that she is much stronger then you are." Jareth said and picked imaginary lint off of his shirt. "Now, will you come back, or will I force you?"

But Scar only asked. "Did she let you read the letter?"

"No," Jareth said. "She burned it."

Scar nodded then looked up into the Goblin King's mismatched eyes. "I told her I loved her." He said.

Jareth blinked. It hit him then, hard. But he was able to muster up logic. "Well, you must come back then and speak to her."

"No," Scar said. "I will not."

"What?" The King turned slowly, in such a manner that even frightened Scar.

"I hate loving her," Scar admitted. "It isn't right. I don't want to love her and I don't want her to love me."

Jareth watched the man silently. He nodded slightly and then sat down on a great boulder. "I fell in love with Sarah when she was very young, far too young for courtship or even a relationship. I watched her grow I tricked he and conned her. I was willing to do anything to get her to love me. But she loves me now because I gave up on those foolish things. But in the process of learning this I created something very bad, pure evil."

"The Darkness." Scar realized.

"Yes," Jareth said gravely. "It was the mess of sorrow I created inside myself. I am still somewhat attached to it. And I believe it knows Sarah, wants Sarah the same way I do. She will come looking for you if you don't come back now. The Darkness will find her and try to consume her if she leaves the Goblin City. It will find her, and if it finds you it may use you to get to her."

Scar gasped. Jareth waited anxiously for him to turn to him and agree to return. But the three thousand year old elf shook his head. For one a thousand years older then Jareth he certainly was stupid.

"I can't." He took a step into the icy water.

"You could be putting her life in danger." Jareth called, but Scar wasn't listening. The Goblin King shook his head sadly and turned away. He could only pray the lies he'd been spinning about the Darkness weren't true. He had no way of knowing anyway, the Darkness was just magic it had no mind of it's on right?

Little elf man. Love _Sarah__**.**_** Get** elf man,** get** _Sarah_, just like blonde man say. Just like what blonde man say. _**Yes**_.

The Darkness moved toward Scar, seeping through the trees of the forest he walked through, devising a trap. It wouldn't be long now before Sarah would become part of the Darkness, not long at all.


	7. Chapter 7 Trapped and Waiting

Chapter 7: Trapped and Waiting

Jareth held Sarah's sleeping form close to him, bemused once again at how easily she succumbed to his demands that she be blindfolded. She knew of the curse of course, but even he would run out of patience for it and would most likely rip the damn blindfold to pieces were it his burden. His thoughts were a clumped mushy disarray, noting made sense and everything was clear and his thoughts turned from understandable to nonsensical within a moment of being conceived. It was all quite frustrating. He could not determine what fatigued his mind so, he had never been so conflicted by anything so _human_. Sarah noticed his change in mood almost before he did and was quick to be the strange sweet child she so rarely was, in comparison to the rather snarky young woman she could be with a mind all her own. Her kindness was unspoken, an attention to him that no one had ever gifted him with before. He could enter a room, call her with no reason, even think of her and she would appear, happy it seemed to curl up on his lap like a little kitten in need of love and without a question love _him_. He still couldn't get over that, her love for him. She respected him and his word but could laugh at him like he was a court jester. And in all fairness, fair as he hardly was, he enjoyed making her laugh, her laugh was a delight to hear, the sight of her smile alone able to clear his mind.

A few weeks passed with no worry, other then his ailing train of thought Jareth had the feeling that _this_ was happiness. Having Sarah with him, enjoying the company of her many eccentric companions and just being able to smile. Even the goblins of the castle noticed the changes in him; he was singing again, better then he had in a very long time and dancing. Sarah was a frequent partner of his, and many small parties were held in the castle. Dancing and music became a staple in the castle, the crew of the _Emerald Queen_ seemed to have no complaints of this unspoken testament.

Then upon the evening of Sarah's Labyrinth-Anniversary Jareth felt a great wave of agony ripple through his body, starting in his skull and ending in his knees. He had collapsed alone in the library, not unconscious but very near paralysis. He sighed against the rug, a reaction to the pain being lifted from his body. But just as he found in him the strength to move another wave of searing pain ran through him. This time he cried out and a passing goblin saw the king and rushed to inform the Lady Sarah. She found him and cried out. Many of her crew members came at her cries and helped her carry him back to his chambers. She had never been there before but had not marveled at its splendor or basked in the soft glow of the many lightened crystals that adorned his ceiling, she had shooed the crew away and cared for Jareth on her own. With the simple magic tricks she had learned over the years she summoned up all the foods and drinks and anything he may have needed. The pains had stopped and only the shiver of what they left behind remained, as if foreshadowing the pain would come again.

Sarah massaged his limbs and neck and even turned him over to rub the tense muscles in his back loose, a job that was not as difficult as it she had expected. At her touch he instantly relaxed, gave up to the sensation of her touch and drifted into a light dose. When he had awoken she was stretched out over his back her cheek on his shoulder blade, her arms around his chest. She was a warm solid form against him, but he soon turned over to hold her in his arms while she slept. She had, in all habit done all her massaging and conjuring with a blindfold. Sometimes, he thought, she was just too sweet a child for him.

Scar was running, each breath he took in stinging inside, every step was agony and fear. But still the Darkness grew closer. He felt its heat nipping his cloak and hair. He took the chance to jump toward a rushing river and landed cold and heavy from the water and his attempts to drag himself free of his mistake cost him his life as the Darkness swallowed him.

To his surprise he felt no pain, only the sudden weight of cold sinking into him from all around. He was sure where his skin was exposed it was turning blue and one squinting glance through the fog the color of raven's wings at his hands he confirmed it. From the swirling mass of destruction around him a scent filled the air. It was sweet, musky almost, and Scar soon recognized it was the way Sarah smelled after she'd taken a long warm bath and had sweat herself sleepy. He raised his head, he half expected her to appear but he was shocked to his knees when standing before him was indeed Sarah. Or at least a very strange copy of Sarah. She was dressed in a huge flowing white ball gown, her hair was pulled up with silver ornaments and she was smiling with teeth much too sharp to be hers. There was an inhuman quality to her, unlike Fae, who wore inhumanity with beauty and grace, this Sarah was much different. She had skin that was slightly blue, like his and her face hit all the wrong shadows and lights and she was such a horrifying beauty that Scar feared death if he drew eyes from her.

Jareth opened his eyes again, set before him in this dream he saw two figures. One was small built, with flowing dark hair and a huge white dress that sparkled. The other was a big man, but slender in the shape of the elves. His face was shadowed by a curtain of black hair. His clothes were dirty. Jareth tried to move toward them across the blank black field but he was trapped, watching them. The girl, Sarah he could now recognize, but an uglier darker version of her, slapped Scar, for indeed the man was Scar. She left bloody tracks from her nails across his face, which was already turning a deep blue. The elf-man did not cry out, instead he turned his face back to watch her with imploring eyes. Suddenly Sarah-double froze and raised her nose slightly like she smelled something. Her head spun slowly toward where Jareth stood and he felt rivers of ice suddenly sweep through him at the sight of her eyes, glassy green like very dull jade, faded into nothing but the reflection of what her eyes truly were. He stepped backward, but found that this step away from her suddenly brought him closer to her then he had intended. He was drawn closer to her with every step backwards he took. When all at once she was close enough to clutch the front of his shirt in her clawed hands he realized his fatal mistake.

She whispered, echoing his thoughts. "Sometimes, the way forward is sometimes the way back." She giggled and leaning up to kiss him, hard and with teeth that cut his lips and tongue without so much her needing to bite down, they were so sharp. She drew back, her lips wet with his blood, the red of it bright against her corpse-blue skin. "And sometimes the way backward brings you forward."

Her hysterical laughter echoed from invisible boundaries and she smiled darkly. It was not the first time he'd met this dark Sarah, but he had prayed

Sarah had been awake for a while. Jareth had fallen asleep with his mask on and she was grateful for the courtesy. She hated the blindfold. Stepping around the bedroom on quite feet she cleared up a mess she'd made earlier during a battle with Scoot for possession of her blindfold. She'd knocked over a bottle of ink and the carpet was black with it. Luckily, Jareth did not mention it, though she was not sure if he'd noticed or not, for she had thrown a gown over it, half of the stain was still exposed. She did not want to touch his temper and waited till he was deep asleep before sneaking to clean it up. Diligence had not been practiced on the Emerald Queen when it came to cleaning, but Sarah was rather gifted in making stains vanish with a little bit of magic. She was never sure where the stains went exactly, but as long as they were gone from this article of clothing or that sail she didn't care. The ink stain was a quick fix, but it drained her greatly for a moment and she curled up in the chair by the desk, waiting for the energy to walk to the bed.

On the desk in front of her was a mess of papers and pens, she moved to move some aside when she came across a little bound book, leather by the smell and texture and fat with papers thick with paint. She opened the book to the first page and gasped. Depicted in a mingling of colors and patterns of the most talented painter was the image of the great maze, the Labyrinth. She flipped through some more pages and the images were very near the same. But then she noticed there was an abrupt change in them, they moved from scenery of Underground and sketches of the citizens to one subject: a young girl. She had huge green eyes in all the pictures, long dark hair which style changed with every depiction, and she bore a very near perfect resemblance of Sarah. The rest of the book contained those pictures and the last completed painting showed her asleep, laying on her side, the blindfold she must have fallen asleep in half off her face, exposing one lightly closed eyelid. Sarah felt a smile crack open her face and she turned to Jareth who was beginning to moan in his sleep, a sign that he may soon wake. But when she saw him she recognized the nightmare. Dashing the book to the desk she ran across the room to his side and called his name.

"Jareth!" She said. "Please wake up! I'm here you're alright." She held him down tightly as he thrashed from side to side, but to no avail and soon she had to jump back to save herself from being smacked. All of the sudden he stilled and his eyes opened and she could see them wide around the shell of the mask.

He whispered quietly. "Darkness." And vanished into thin air.

Sarah's scream was heard throughout the castle, but when her crew mates found her she was on the bed, kneeling, the mask he'd been wearing in her hands. When after much coaxing she finally spoke all the men could understand was: _Darkness_. Whatever had happened the culprit had been named.


	8. Chapter 8 Poison

Chapter 8: Poison

Jay watched Sarah's vanishing form over the horizon line. He had not tried to stop her when he caught her the morning after Jareth's disappearance, he knew he would not be able to stop her. When she was determined, the Little Rose would do anything, never cease at what she did and would almost always succeed. But he was not sure if she would be victorious this time about. Her foe was a great force, not something you could poke with a dagger or curse with a spell. He had seen her successful once against the Darkness, but the force of it all almost killed her, he knew that a second meeting like the first would kill her. He had decided at this logic to wake the captain before noon, which gave her a head start, but meant the crew could get to her before much trouble had happened. Maybe. Jay was still a pirate, but he was old and his age was more of a handicap then anything else. He was certain though, that if anything happened to his little girl he would strangle any hooligan that came near him.

Jareth breathed in the shallow air. Scar was beside him, bleeding from multiple wounds, gasping and coughing. The King was not nearly as wounded physically, but he was heart sore beyond measure. And that emotional ache, he was certain, was fueling the Darkness' power. He tried not to hurt so much inside, but it was an inevitable reaction. Love, he felt, hurt much more then anything else in the world. The Sarah-double was proof that no matter the image, the moral or otherwise, he would always love Sarah. He loved the evil creature before him, for it was Sarah, however different, it was still her body, her smile was almost the same. And sometimes it would seem she was indeed _his_ Sarah, as false as this was his heart could be fooled.

"Wake up," Her sing-song voice made him turn his head to her. His lips already hurt before she even laid hers over them and kissed him, this time was gentle, she did not bite or harm. But then with the smile of the Devil on her face she pulled away from him, stepped gingerly over his legs and went to lean over the very confused body of Scar. Jareth's heart rose to his throat and he almost cried out when Sarah-not-Sarah smiled down at Scar and let her lips fall gently on his. She kissed the semi-conscious elf-man with such a vigor and passion that Jareth felt all his magic stream forth from his body in one painful burst and disperse into the Darkness around them. Sarah moaned happily at his reaction and kissed Scar deeper until he lost all consciousness and fainted, his face entirely blue, his lips a terrifying purple, his eyelids near black. She stood again and eyed Jareth with a disgustingly beautiful smile. When she turned away he pleaded for her to return to him.

He screamed and begged for her as she laughed and walked away into the Darkness. He even cried for her once she had vanished, but his cries turned to soft moans. Soon even those sounds vanished into nothingness as hope faded and Jareth knew and felt for the first time in his life that pain of love, that ache was dangerous. Death was something he prayed for. Scar never stirred beside him and continued to turn blue, until he was almost the rich shade of a Fae corpse. The only indication that he lived were the clouds of white breath escaping his lips. Jareth peered at his own hands, long since deprived of his gloves and shuddered at the sight. They were, without a doubt bluer then Scar. Why he was not yet dead he did not know. His prayers changed from pleads of end to plead for Sarah.

"Bless my love," He whispered. Scar's eyes had opened an hour ago and were staring glassy and unseeing into the Darkness around him. "Bless Sarah, give her love and life and hope."

"Bless Sarah," Scar whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of the cold. "Bless the Queen."

"The Queen." Jareth echoed and finally fell into a sleep of restless nightmares. When he awoke Scar was no longer breathing and his skin had turned black and was flaking off in shards of hard membrane. Jareth had never seen an elf corpse before, but he had read about them. He managed to crawl away before the liquids began to seep from Scar's body. In the end Jareth was still soaked in blood.

Sarah shook all over at the sight of the thrashing Darkness. She was still miles from it, she could turn and run away if she wanted to, but her feet held firmly rooted to the desert sand. The sky was black above her head, the sand looked grey and was near icy. She could sense the thing was moving toward her. Her horse had been too afraid to stay and she had long since released it to flee for home. She only kept the sword she had brought.

She knew the two-foot blade of light silver would come of no use to her, it gave her a sense of power over her fears and she clutched it close, unsheathed against her chest. No doubt it was a little heavy to hold and if she needed to run it was an inconvenient burden, but if courage was granted to her by its presence then so be the burden. Her heart would shatter without courage.

She had no idea if Jareth was even alive, and even if she could somehow manage to figure that out would the cost be deadly for her and him. She clutched the sword tighter in her hands and took a step. It seemed that from its place a few miles off the darkness took a step to her and as she took each new step toward it, the monster returned the step.

Had she senses aware to notice she would have seen her normally pale skin, slightly sun burnt on that day begin to shimmer as it had the first time she had encountered the Darkness. The light from her body radiated around her, so much that it grazed the Darkness as it approached. But this time it did not falter at her glory and instead came at her faster then before, no hesitation in its flight.

Sarah turned to run, instincts yelling at her to find protection, but she stopped herself and stood direct, sword slick with the sweat on her palms, waiting for it to hit her like a pile of bricks. But she found when she could see no light from beneath her eyelids and the desert air grew icy and smelling of mold that the Darkness had swallowed her whole, with no conflict and no pain.

She opened her eyes and peered around her, but there wasn't much to peer at. Her light was only strong enough to light two-feet all around her.

"Hello?" She called. Stupid, do you think it will answer you?

But in fact a soft voice did answer her. "Hello?" _Jareth._

"Jareth!" Sarah lunged toward where his soft voice had come from and threw her arms around his body. Without meaning to she threw herself back, his body was icier then anything she'd ever felt before.

"I'm sorry precious I should've warned you, though for a moment I thought you were the other Sarah." He was curled up slightly, his face buried in his hands. He had no mask so Sarah didn't trouble him for the protection.

"The other Sarah?" She asked and reached a hand to lie on his icy back. She tried not to pull her hand away.

"Never mind." He said into his hands. "You need to get out of here."

"Not without you I'm not," She said and stood. "You're coming with me."

Jareth made a sound like a soft growl and he shook his head. He wound an arm around her shoulders and drew her down to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her body and keened back to sit so he could cocoon her with his legs as well. Against him Sarah shivered, more from fear then the cold of his body.

"You are leaving," He said firmly. "Before she comes."

"Who?" Sarah was getting angry, her anger welling inside her, mixing with the euphoric bliss of finding Jareth and the fear of being surrounded by the biting Darkness. But Jareth sighed and refused to answer her. After a few brief moments he whispered.

"Close your eyes."

She did as he commanded and felt him cup her face in his gloved hands, icy against her skin. The kiss he gave her was sharp and hard and full of some sort of desire and love she'd never sensed from him before. He seemed almost angry, tense as she could feel his muscles were and it was hard to detect the source of the pain. She pulled back, eyes still clamped shut and he ran his fingers over her face, but the touch was rougher then his usual tenderness. She considered it to be the affects of the Darkness, though her heart told her otherwise.

"Jareth," She whispered calmly. "We need to leave."

"Sarah…"

"No!" She yelled and nearly opened her eyes. "Now! I'm…I'm…" She stuttered horribly and began to cry, something she hadn't done truly for a very long time. It had never felt so real before, her love, but now in the cold and the dark where hope was in short supply, her body radiated the love she felt.

"Oh, how sweet!"

Sarah's gentle sobs stopped short and she turned to look up at a young, frighteningly beautiful woman. Her heart gave out at the sight before her. It was as if she was looking in a mirror, from her youth. Her face smiled down at her, but the intensity of the smile made Sarah's fear rise again. The image of herself wore the dress from the Bubble Ballroom. The marble eyes spun wildly in the pale face, sunken deep in skull. They never stilled only spun unseeing, though Sarah felt the doppelganger could see right into her soul.

Jareth's panic spiked and he wound his arm around Sarah's body and pulled her close against him, trying to barricade her from the evil alter ego approaching. Sarah shivered against him, from both fear and his cold body. His heart thundered erratically, her cheek against his chest taking every reverberation of the beats.

"Now Jareth, it's not nice to not share toys." Sarah couldn't help but gasp at the voice she now recognized as her own.

The other-Sarah smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. Sarah peeked up at her and grimaced. Normally, in this moment of fear and anger and frustration it would be apparent not to speak the first thought on your mind but Sarah spoke then, exhausted from stress and hungry for anything that wasn't horribly terrifying.

"Are my boobs really that big?" She mumbled.

Jareth sighed, exasperated and equally confused with lack of sleep. "Stupid sweet child." He whispered and held her tighter against him.

She felt him raise his head to the double, though he would not allow her to do the same, keeping a strong hand on her head, holding it firmly to him.

"If you dare touch her…" He addressed the double.

"You'll what?" He was interrupted by her cold snapping voice.

"I'll…" He began again.

"Yes?" She sneered at him and licked her red lips.

He hesitated then collapsed on Sarah, physically admitting defeat without so much as a fight. Sarah felt around on the ground for the hilt of her blade and she grasped it tightly in her hand.

"I thought so Jareth," The double said. And laughed high and shrill. "No one can defeat me."

Was the Darkness speaking? Through the double's mouth? Sarah couldn't decide.

"Why don't we just separate you young lovers now?" The clone twitched her hand and Jareth was ripped from Sarah and flung nearly all across the boundaries of the Darkness. He was held suspended in the air many feet above Sarah. He flailed to no avail against the grip of the Darkness, crying out angrily.

Sarah felt as though her identity had been stripped from her body and soul when Jareth was taken. She gripe her sword firmly in her hands and stood facing herself, trying not to waver at the copy's grotesque smile.

"Oh!" The copy cried out in delight and clapped her hands like a pleased child. "How sweet, oh precious! She brought a sword!"

Sarah lunged forward, the tip of the blade aimed for the chest. But before she could strike, other-Sarah moved out of the way with a swiftness even a Fae couldn't duplicate. She gasped and swung the sword to the right and nicked the double's arms. She screamed horridly as streams of clear, slightly blue smoke sprang from the gash into the air. The monster clawed at her own wound angrily, like a mad animal. The creature turned to face Sarah who held her sword at ready for another attack. The marble eyes suddenly stopped spinning and they were no longer the glassy green they had been. Oh no, they were different now, one was soft hazel, glinting slightly with soft hints of gold. The other was blue, bright blue, The features on the doppelganger's face changed too, angling and sharpening with aristocratic features. The dark ornamented hair fell away to be replaced by nearly white blonde hair, like a frosty lion's mane.

Sarah watched in horror as he creature straightened, clothed in leather pants and a black and blue dancing coat that shimmered with little sewn gems and trinkets. The light from Sarah's body made them dance against he walls of the Darkness. When the face raised form the shadow and the deep eyes met hers she cried out in fear and slight amazement at the nearly perfect recreation of Jareth beautiful face, if slightly bluer and glowing with his usual smirk.

"Sarah," He said. It was his voice! She hadn't heard his true voice or seen his true face in so long and her heart was nearly bursting with the joy of it all. He stepped toward her, but then the illusion was shattered as she saw at a closer distance how very glassy his eyes seemed. They were not alive.

She raised the sword again. He frowned and reached for her. "Precious," His voice wasn't mocking. "What is it?" Her heart nearly bled and burst out of her chest at the sound of his endearment. But she could hear clearly now the sounds of Jareth struggling somewhere in the Darkness above her. The double of Jareth laughed and vanished for a brief moment.

Sarah gasped and spun around in fear, trying to predict where he would reappear. But she was not fast enough for him and he wound his arms around her waist. His lips and sharp neck were on her neck, his malicious laughter chilling her to the bone.

"You belong to me," He said. The voice had changed, it sounded more like a monster then Jareth. "There is nothing you can do now Sarah, Sarah, Sarah." His icy tongue traced a line up her skin.

"There isn't?" She whispered angrily and gripped the sword firmly in her hands least she hesitate. "What about this?" In one swift movement so he could not react, she thrust the long sharp sword through her ribcage and deep into the stomach of the copy.

He cried out and fell back and she spun quickly, spraying her blood on his own bloody form and she swung the blade across his neck so deep his head fell off his shoulders and evaporated into the air. The body shook and quivered as blood and smoke and small white sparks surged from the hole she had created. A flash of strange color and light surrounded her and she was lifted and bashed against something very hard. Her scream shattered the world around her and the Darkness was all at once swept away into nothing and she landed hard on the sand earth.

A thud near her signaled that Jareth had landed. She opened her weary eyes to see his back a few yards away. He didn't move and neither did she. She was afraid that if she did move, the blood that was seeping out of her would flood out of her so fast that she would die. So she laid there, spread out on the grey shadowed sand, tears of regret and relief pouring down over her cheeks. The Darkness, it seemed for now, was gone.

Tiran raised his head up from the sea to look at the sky, the clouds were heavy and fat with rain that would not be born. Gritting his sharp teeth he cursed quietly. Then a tremor of magic surged through him and he was torn from the water and ripped through space and time. He landed on a desert plain in time to see the Darkness drop two figures and fill itself up into the body of one of them. He nodded his head slightly as he recognized what had happened.

The child had returned to the safety of it's father. The Darkness, the feeling, was once again inside Jareth.

He could see, with his hawk-like vision the bleeding body of Jareth's love, Sarah. She looked so tiny and pale against the deep colors of her black-brown hair and the blood the soaked her clothes.

"I'm sorry," Tiran found himself whispering. Tears were springing from his eyes, angry regretting tears of shame. He whispered a lifted spell, so the curse he had set would be counteracted. He tried to stand, to reach her, but his legs buckled beneath him and he fell down to the ground and was held there by the unnamable force that poisoned his heart.

"No," He whispered. "Please let me save her, for my son's sake." He thrashed against the sand and tried to crawl towards them but it couldn't be helped. He remained suspended in that patch of sand, crying for help, praying for life.

Sarah heard Jareth moan and the sound was enough to make her tug her baggy shirt tight over her bleeding wound and drag herself to him. Curse or no curse she turned him over so he laid on his back. His face, his beautiful sweet face was just as she had remembered it. Everything about him was right and perfect. She leaned down to kiss him, holding back the cries of agony as the blood seeped through the knot she'd made of her shirt to conceal the bleeding. His limp lips were warm, his entire body was warm again and she couldn't help but press herself close to him and cling to it. Heat was escaping her quickly. She kissed him again and this time the lips came to life against hers. She weakened and began to fall back into he sand, Jareth's kiss following her until she laid against the ground with him over her, unaware she was dying in his arms.

Jareth pulled up and opened his eyes. He could sense the curse was lifted and he wanted to see his beautiful Sarah for what felt to be the first time in ages smile up at him. But when he opened his eyes Sarah was not smiling. Her face was pale and near lifeless, her eyes half shut and wet with her sweat. He looked down at her body and gasped.

"Sarah," He shrieked and tried to frantically unbind her tight fingers from their pressing hold on the wound. "Stop, please, let me help you."

"Ahh!" Sarah writhed violently and a surge of blood sprouted and leaked over her sides.

"No." Jareth mumbled angrily, tears flowing off his face and landing on hers. "Damn no."

"Jareth!" She cried out. She grasped his frantic hands. "Jareth, please, make it stop hurting."

Delusional she moaned and fainted as more and more blood bubbled out of her and soaked Jareth. He gasped horrified as her faint turned from more then a faint to a still, cadaverous sleep. He looked down at her and stopped thinking, stopped breathing. He felt all of his body go numb. He mechanically moved to pull her limp form into his arms. He stood up, blood washed the sand black at his feet. He felt then the Darkness, his sorrow move in him, a soft tender surge of it flowed through his veins. He looked to the West where on the horizon line he could see the crew of the Emerald Queen, approaching on horseback. He sighed and began to walk toward them, the face of death plastered on his bones. He had nothing to live for now. He knew before long though that he would eb with Sarah again. It was not a question. He was no longer afraid to die.

**Don't worry, it'll end fine and dandy. I promise. Kinda.**


	9. Chapter 9 The Emerald Queen

Chapter 9: The Emerald Queen

Margo was first to see him. First to see Sarah, a limp white figure in the Goblin King's arms. Jay was next. His cries echoed on the empty desert like the howls of a father who'd lost his only child, in truth Sarah had been his child, his angel. As each crew member dismounted from their horses and stood in terrified flocks, Jareth passed without a word, walking in a straight line to where at the end of the trail of crew members stood a grim looking Margo. In the wake of Jareth's footsteps the sand was soaked and red.

Margo did not speak when Jareth reached him. The King held out Sarah, whose blood still dripped from her. Margo frowned sadly and looked up at Jareth with a lost look on his face. The king was crying harder then, and Margo saw he wasn't able to hold Sarah any longer. He gathered up his smallest crew member in his arms and Jareth collapsed in the sand. His cries were worse then any sound any of them could have made, loud and full of longing and sorrow.

The sound brought movement to the limp body in Margo's arms. He gasped and laid her down before Jareth.

"Your Highness," He said gravely. "She is not yet too far gone for us."

Jareth raised his head to look down at her face, pale as the moon and smudged with rusty brown blood. "Sarah, precious, please." He managed to whisper.

"She won't last long," Someone said.

"Not 'til morning."

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

Jareth screamed again and punched the sand with a fist, sending grains everywhere.

"Jareth…" Her gasp brought a heavy silence over them all.

He leaned in over her. "Yes, yes my love?" His words were hardly a whisper.

"It's….it's still in you." She hiccupped painfully.

The Darkness. Jareth sighed. "Yes." It was all he could say.

She was struggling to answer, and blood had begun to leak out of her mouth a little. She raised a hand to wipe it away and finally managed to whisper. "I know…how to get it…to get it out."

Jareth frowned. He thought death was the only solution and even if it wasn't he would die. To stay with her. The smile she gave him next brought such a painful flutter of hope to his heart that a smile of his own crossed his face. It was a sad smile, full of blood and tears.

"I need you… to kiss me." She said gently. Jareth very nearly laughed.

"What?" He was afraid then that she would never kiss him again. The thought was excruciating.

"Trust me," She gasped. "I know it will work."

"I don't want to hurt you." He said. He moved a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. They were glassy and blinking rapidly.

"You?" She laughed and a river of blood flooded again. "Your love could never hurt me. I love you." She reached a shaking hand to cup his cheek and she tugged him down gently to kiss him. From somewhere deep inside him something shattered. Her lips were tender and sweet, her hands on his face touched with an ease he had not felt from her before. Love, real and strange and fantastic love was there in her kiss and her fingers on his face. His tears sprouted fresh again, spilling out on her cheeks. She smiled and a sudden crash above them sounded.

Jareth felt a sudden weight on his chest, as if the heart he now knew was inside him was trying to crawl out through his flesh. It burned and he gasped. Sarah nearly screamed as a wave of pain ran over her. She moved quickly, using the last gust of energy in her body. She sat up and kissed him again, his lips his neck, his cheeks and forehead and jaw line, anywhere she could reach. Between each kiss she whispered. "I love you."

Jareth cried out as the rocking chip of Darkness inside him finally burst outward and shattered in the air between him and Sarah. He understood then, he knew what she'd been doing. The Darkness was the magical reaction to his heart feeling unrequited in love. When Sarah finally proved the love she felt the Darkness was truly destroyed. His body felt light as mist and his heart even lighter. Sarah had known, and she destroyed it. He looked down at her, dying cold and afraid and without any more hope then he had.

"Precious," He whispered. "Try to stay with me, just try and we can save you." He was begging. The Goblin King was begging. Sarah wanted to laugh. She wanted to toss her hair and dance and smile. She wanted to find the strength to say she wasn't leaving. But her words couldn't escape her mouth; they were tapped under the weight of her leaden lips. Even her breath had to struggle it's way through her clogging nose and mouth, her lungs were aching and her stab wound was a gaping hole of numb chill.

_Sarah._

She moaned and tried to open her eyes which had fallen shut again against her desire to stare at Jareth's lovely face until death truly did wrap its soft wings around her mortal body.

Sarah.

A flash of color brightened her lidded gaze and she had the uneasy sense she was no longer in her body. But the voice that was speaking was gentle and she recognized it without hesitation.

"Scar?" She whispered and found she could easily open her eyes. And it _was_ Scar who stood before her, smiling his stupid little-boy grin. Something was different though and when Sarah recognized the change she gasped.

"Your scar!" She rushed forward and laid a hand on his face where his scar had been. His skin was warm under her hand. She frowned slightly and looked around. But they weren't in the desert.

"Mighty nice stab you got there." He said and smirked at her.

"What?" Sarah looked down and gasped. The hole in her stomach was huge, though it had stopped bleeding and the ring of dried blood around the hole was flaking off in little red shreds. It looked like falling snow. She blinked back tears. "Oh no, what am I going to do?"

"Well," Scar sighed and she looked back up at him, imploring and afraid. "You have a choice to make."

Sarah felt the lump of swollen emotion in her throat grow larger and she nodded to encourage his explanation.

He continued. "You may, as I chose to walk forward. If you do you can never return to Underground again. Or you may walk backward. I do not know the rules of walking backward, but I do know that you will be, until one proves true to you and can save you in the form of the unmoving, the silent and the unseeing."

"What?"

He shrugged. "That's all they tell you at the gate, I was pulled from the Forward to give you your options."

Sarah thought for a moment."I think you know my choice." She answered after a while.

He smiled; he really was a handsome elf. But he didn't seem so ordinary anymore, no scar, no anger. Just a sweet smile. "I will send you back, but first…" He took her hand in his and pulled her body up to his. He was warm against her.

"You never would've let me do this if you were alive." He ran a hand through her hair, the tangles combed free at the touch of his fingers.

"Scar, how did you die?" She whispered.

His brown eyes turned misty. "I would rather you not know, love."

"You lied, you know." She said.

"When?"

"You said that you were not Fae and the law of love didn't apply." She said. "You are Fae, you contradicted the law and you tried to dismiss the glory of it." She said, triumph in her voice.

He laughed, loud and clear. "Yes, I did lie. And yes, I do love you."

"I love you too, Scarrie." She said.

But he shook his head. "Not the same way, never the same way." He laid his thumb on her bottom lip; his eyes were lost in staring there.

"I'm sorry," She whispered and moved her hands to rest on his broad chest. "I really am."

"I know, I know." He moved down to kiss her and his mouth was warm and soft. She kissed him back. But he pulled away as she reacted and looked down at her with sad eyes.

"Live again, my emerald queen." He whispered and kissed her forehead.

A cool wind swallowed her up and her eyes closed slowly.

"I will guide your love," Scar whispered. "He will save you from the prison, you will live again."

"Keep him safe," She whispered. "Tell him I love him."

She didn't hear his answer but she trusted him. She trusted him…

Jareth closed his eyes. Margo took off his hat; Jay fell to his knees beside her body. The crew was silent. Jareth reopened his eyes and jumped.

"What's on her nose?" Scoot asked quietly.

"It's green, someone wipe it off."

"Don't touch her," Jareth commanded. He moved to lean over her to rub the green off with his thumb, but to his horror it was hard as stone beneath his finger and it was spreading. "She's turning to stone." He whispered and leaned back from her. The green spread over her cheeks over her closed eyes then under her clothes.

"Not a stone," Scoot answered. "She's turning into an emerald."

"Oh gods above," Jay whispered. "Why this?"

"She chose this," Everyone jumped and looked toward the voice.

Jareth gasped. "Scar."

The billowing white clouds hung suspended above them. In the fog hung the image of Scar, smiling down upon them.

"She will live again," He said. "That is, if you can save her Jareth, the journey is hard and long, are you willing?"

Jareth looked down at Sarah, an emerald statue resting in the sand beside him. It was not a question for him. He stood, blood streaked, half starved and still chilled from the Darkness and he nodded.

Before the eyes of the crew he vanished, and only the echoes of a coming thunderstorm remained in the desert.

**To be continued in….**

**The Ruby King**

**Coming soon.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


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